Mixed Emotions
by queenanarchist
Summary: Will Freddy and Katie finally express how they feel to one another? Read on. FINAL CHAPTER UPLOADED. FreddyKatie.
1. Michael

"Mixed Emotions"  
  
~ This is my first School of Rock story. I'm sorry if this isn't quite good but I hope you still take time to read it. Thanks!  
  
Freddy/Katie pairing  
  
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Chapter 1: Michael  
  
The summer heat can already be felt this time of year. The kids just finished school and they are now back rehearsing in Dewey's apartment in preparation for the up coming "Summerblast Battle of the Bands." They have done quite a few gigs for the past 2 years since they got together but still Dewey's dream of landing a record deal is still far from becoming reality. Ned was in Mexico, leaving the apartment to Dewey's care. The band practiced harder. Surely they wanted to win this time.  
  
"Good work, guys! That was awesome. Zack, just more practice and you too, Freddy. OK...let's have a break...I'll call for some pizza delivery." Dewey said as he went to the living room dialing the number of the pizza delivery boy on his cordless phone.  
  
"I hope we win this time." Summer said in her usual bossy tone.  
  
"C'mon, Summer. It's not about winning. It's about doing what we love to do." Zack said in his usual happy-go-lucky tone as he sat on the sofa beside Freddy.  
  
"Yeah I know. But we've been...I mean...you guys have been performing for months now but no one seems to be interested."  
  
"Summer...we'll have our day. Trust me. Soon I'll be the greatest drummer there ever was!" Freddy said coolly, flipping his drumsticks with his hands trying to impress everyone.  
  
"In your dreams." Katie told Freddy with great disbelief.  
  
"Oh what? As if you're so good with your bass..."  
  
"I never said I was good." Katie said irritably.  
  
"Hey. . . what's going on here? What's the fight all about huh?" Dewey said coming back from the living room.  
  
"Ask Ms. Confident." Freddy said glancing crossly at Katie.  
  
"Shut up, Freddy."  
  
"Make me..."  
  
"Hey. . .hey. . .guys. . .Freddy, Katie. . .just please, stop arguing alright. Battle of the Bands is a few weeks away and I don't want anyone in our band going to conflicts, okay? C'mon you two." Dewey said giving both of them a peace-out-now-or-else look.  
  
"Fine. Sorry, Freddy." Katie said in a low tone.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry too..." Freddy said not looking at Katie.  
  
"That's what I'm talking about! Just make sure you two will be Ok now alright." Dewey said then left the room to answer the door.  
  
"Whatever" Freddy and Katie said almost at the same time.  
  
------------------------------------------------------- The next day Katie and Summer stopped by a grocery store before heading to Dewey's apartment. Dewey asked the girls to do the grocery for him saying that he was too lazy to do it himself.  
  
"Lays?" Katie asked Summer as she was looking at the list of things to buy given to her by Dewey.  
  
"Check." Summer answered, checking the insides of the grocery bag she was carrying.  
  
"Pringles?"  
  
"Check."  
  
"Martini? This too?"  
  
"He's asking us to buy alcoholic drinks? Hello? Imagine what people may think. I'm so not going out this store with that inside this bag." Summer said stubbornly.  
  
"But what would ----"  
  
Katie was cut off mid sentence when someone carelessly bumped into her.  
  
"Ow! Watch it will you!" Katie said.  
  
"I'm sorry"  
  
Katie found herself face to face with a really good-looking guy. He's a few inches taller than she is. He also had black hair. He dressed coolly and by the looks of it he seemed quite in a hurry.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm in a hurry and I have this family thing I need to attend to and I ---"  
  
"It's alright. No one got hurt." Katie said blushing a bit.  
  
"That's good. I'll see you around." The guy said as he walked quickly out of the store. Katie never felt something like this before. Her heart was beating at a faster pace than the usual. She never had a crush on anyone, not until now. She stared blankly at the store entrance from where she last saw the guy.  
  
"Hello? Katie?" Summer said snapping her fingers hastily, trying to get Katie back to her senses. "Hello? We have to hurry. Dewey's probably waiting..." she pulled Katie in the arm towards the counter, paid their dues then went out of the store.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------- DEWEY'S APARTMENT  
  
Everyone was pretty busy. Zack was practicing his chords while Marta, Alicia and Tomika were making new dance steps for their new song. Finally, Summer and Katie arrived.  
  
"What the hell took you two so long?" Dewey asked.  
  
"Yeah, we're like starving here." Freddy said.  
  
"Dewey, I can't believe you let us buy Martini." Summer said angrily handing the grocery bag to him.  
  
"It's for me not for you."  
  
"I know. But hello? To make minors, not to mention 12 year olds, buy alcoholic drinks without being accompanied by an adult, it's just so ----"  
  
"Summer, were you caught?"  
  
"No. Because we didn't buy any."  
  
"Just be a good girl, Summer and shut your mouth right now." Summer looked at Dewey with narrowed eyes.  
  
"We've been waiting for you. Where have you been?" Freddy said opening a bag of Lays.  
  
"To the grocery store, obviously." Katie said as she sat down on the sofa next to Zack.  
  
"Oh there's this really cute guy who bumped into Katie." Summer said excitedly the feeling of anger she felt a few minutes ago suddenly fades away. "I think Katie likes him."  
  
"Summer, shut up please."  
  
"Oh shoot you weren't able to get his name!" Summer said ignoring Katie.  
  
"I bet he's a loser! Trying to get someone's attention by bumping into someone." Freddy said provokingly.  
  
"He wasn't trying to get someone's attention! Maybe you are. You always want to be cool don't you?" Katie said irritably.  
  
"So what?"  
  
"Hey! I thought we talked about this before. No more fights, time for practice. Let's go." Dewey said as everyone went to his or her respective positions. Katie and Freddy did not talk to each other the whole time. How they just love to infuriate each other, I can tell.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was already nighttime when band practice was finally over. Everyone was fetched by their parents except for Katie who had to walk to the grocery store she and Summer went to earlier since that's where her mom was planning to meet her. She sat on the bench in front of the store, laying her bass guitar beside her. She kept herself from being bored stiff by busily watching people going in and out of the store. A few minutes passed and still she was doing the same thing, and there was still no sign of her mom. While she was watching an old man slowly walking out of the store she heard a familiar voice.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Katie turned her head to see who it was. It was Freddy.  
  
"I'm waiting for my mom." Katie answered shifting her look from Freddy to the taxicab in front of the store.  
  
"Why don't you go inside the store and wait for her there? Aren't you bored out here?" Freddy asked pushing slightly aside Katie's bass and sat down beside her.  
  
"No." Katie answered. "You, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
A long silence filled the air for a few minutes. Then suddenly someone approached Katie surprisingly.  
  
"Hi! It's you. The one I bumped into this morning."  
  
Katie started feeling uneasy now that she came face to face once again with this still unnamed guy she met this morning. He was smiling from ear to ear as he offered Katie a friendly handshake.  
  
"I'm Michael."  
  
"Katie." Katie stood up and shyly accepted his hand. Freddy shot a look of annoyance towards Michael.  
  
"I knew I'd see you again."  
  
"Yeah." Katie realized that she was still holding Michael's hand and hastily, she let go of it.  
  
"Is he your friend?" Michael asked pointing at Freddy who was staring blankly on the fire hydrant.  
  
"Er. . . yeah. . . he's Freddy." Katie said as she turned to face Freddy. "Freddy meet Michael. Michael meet Freddy."  
  
"Hey. . ." Michael gave out Freddy a hand.  
  
"Hey." Freddy answered coldly without taking his eyes off the fire hydrant and without accepting Michael's sincere handshake. Katie wanted to choke Freddy so badly for being rude.  
  
"Sorry about him. It's his stomachache. He's suffering from diarrhea these past three days." Katie said provokingly and loudly enough for Freddy to hear.  
  
"Hey don't start it Katie." Freddy said annoyingly as he stood up and stared at Katie.  
  
Suddenly they heard some honking. It was Katie's mom driving a blue Benz.  
  
"I have to go." Katie said carrying her bass over her shoulder. "Bye Michael."  
  
"See ya." Michael smiled gleefully at her as he watched the car move away from them.  
  
Freddy on the other hand walked away furiously. 'I never knew I was invisible. She didn't even say goodbye to me.' Freddy told himself as the bus door swung open allowing him to enter. He climbed up and found himself a seat. He stared outside the window still feeling irritable wishing that the day would just end.  
  
End of Chapter 1  
  
- Er. . . I know. . . it's not good. . . but please review. Thanks. 


	2. Unexpected Visit

Chapter 2: Unexpected Visit  
  
It was a wonderful Friday morning. Dewey's apartment was the busiest place ever. The whole band and crew was there. Gordon was working on a new flash presentation for the band. Eleni and Michelle were making band posters and flyers. Unfortunately, Katie was not yet there and the band had no choice but to start without her.  
  
"What's wrong with Katie? She's been late for 2 days in a row! Doesn't she realize how important this is? Summer Battle of the Bands in not just some crap school project!" Dewey said furiously as he kept walking around the room back and forth.  
  
"Relax, Dewey." Summer said calmly. "I bet she's a bit preoccupied with other stuff but in Katie's nature, she always puts band practice on top of everything else. You know that. And besides, it just eliminations."  
  
"What do you mean just eliminations, Summer?" Dewey said annoyingly. "Elimination round is important. We have to get in this."  
  
"She's preoccupied with other stuff?" Freddy said wanting to laugh. "Or maybe preoccupied with someone."  
  
"Who?" Zack asked.  
  
"That jerk Michael. The guy she's crushing on. They see each other everyday."  
  
"How'd you know they are seeing each other?" Summer asked skeptically.  
  
Freddy remained silent. He didn't want to tell everyone that he was kind of "spying" on Katie. Ever since the day Michael bumped into Katie, she started coming over the grocery store everyday after band practice. Freddy would secretly follow her to see if she was meeting with Michael and as he expected she was. Freddy likes Katie. But he surely doesn't have a good way of showing it (In maddening her the least). . .and he's really jealous.  
  
Soon Katie arrives with a nervous look on her face.  
  
"I am so sorry!" Katie said as she walked rapidly towards her usual band practice position, which was beside the window. She quickly tuned up her bass avoiding everyone's, especially Dewey's, eyes.  
  
"Katie, I don't know what you have been up to lately but it's really annoying the sack out of me especially now that in two days in a row, you've been LATE!" Dewey said angrily.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Dewey. I had to meet someone 'cause he was borrowing something from me and I didn't realize the time so . . ." Katie finished knowing that Dewey and the others were not convinced.  
  
"Oh Michael? That guy?" Zack asked.  
  
"Wait how did you ---"  
  
"Katie, you're a great bassist and I'm glad you've been part of this kick- ass rock band. Just please, please try to concentrate more about Summer Battle of the Bands for now OK? No more dating. You're still young." Dewey said calming down a bit.  
  
"Dating? I'm not dating anyone!" Katie said in surprise.  
  
"Well this Michael guy ---"Alicia was cut mid sentence.  
  
"Michael is a good friend. Is it such a crime to be making friends with other people?"  
  
"Freddy told us---"  
  
"Freddy?" Katie gave Freddy an exasperated look.  
  
"Fine, fine . . . enough of this shit. Let's practice." Dewey said quickly before Katie and Freddy starts arguing again.  
  
---------------------------------------------- They practiced the whole day. Since the theme of the competition's elimination round was about Punk/Rock Covers, they decided to do their own version of "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. They also rehearsed some of their original songs. There were a lot written by Zack and Dewey. Freddy tried to write his own song but couldn't finish it. There are times when his mind would just go blank and eventually he had to find the right time to continue writing.  
  
It was already lunchtime and everyone had a break. Dewey bought pizza and burgers for take-out from the nearest fast food chain he could see. Katie ate her burger silently. She was so annoyed by the fact that Freddy told everyone about Michael before she could. "This is my life why does he always want to be involved?" she told herself as she drank her coke.  
  
Suddenly, Summer excitedly sat beside her. "So. . . how's Michael?" Summer said taking a sip from her coke.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"C'mon, Katie. You haven't told us much about him." Eleni joined in the conversation. Freddy who was silently eating his burger tried to eavesdrop.  
  
"Does he like rock?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Yeah. . . he's into old school punk. Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols. . ."  
  
"Does he play an instrument?"  
  
"What is this some question-and-answer game?" Katie said a bit annoyed.  
  
"Just answer!" Alicia said.  
  
"Yeah. . . he does. He plays the drums."  
  
That struck Freddy. It was great coincidence that this guy he was jealous of was into his kind of music and also plays the drums. Freddy rolled his eyes in disbelief.  
  
"He also plays bass guitar. He's pretty good at it actually." Katie said turning pink.  
  
"You've heard him play?" Alicia asked.  
  
"Of course she has." Freddy interrupted. "They see each other everyday . . ." he added as he walked towards the other side of the room where they rehearsed and started practicing his drum solos. A way to express his aggravation. Katie stared at him with flaming eyes.  
  
"Okay people listen up!" Dewey said casually. "Freddy, come over here for a sec."  
  
Freddy left his drums and quickly went to join the others.  
  
"There will be 12 bands competing for eliminations. They will be picking out 6/12 and those 6 bands would have the chance to enter the Finals."  
  
As Dewey expected, everyone noised about it. He cleared this throat, signaling the others to keep quiet, and then he continued.  
  
"We will be performing last."  
  
"Last? Again?" Summer said in an incredulous tone.  
  
"Well Summer, have you ever heard of the saying 'Save the best for last'? 'Cause that's who we are. We're the best! And I want you to think that way every time. Win or lose. Got it?"  
  
Everyone nodded in approval.  
  
"That's the spirit! Now, we come right after the band called 'Smoke' "  
  
"Smoke? How lame." Freddy said airily. Zack smirked devilishly in approval.  
  
Just then they heard a knock on the door.  
  
Dewey went to answer the door. He was surprised to see a twelve-year-old kid standing outside.  
  
"Are you lost?" Dewey asked looking a bit puzzled. The kid happens to be Michael.  
  
"Er. . .is this where the band School of Rock rehearses?" Michael asked coolly.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Great! Um. . . can I speak to Katie?"  
  
"Why? We're practicing . . ."  
  
"Can I come in?" Michael answered ignoring Dewey's question.  
  
Dewey stared at Michael with great skepticism. Then he turned his back from him and called for Katie.  
  
"Katie! Someone's looking for you!"  
  
Katie never got any visitors in Dewey's apartment aside from her parents. She approached the door and was surprised to see Michael grinning broadly at her. Dewey went back inside, still having a look of skepticism on his face.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Katie asked Michael. "How'd you know this is where the band rehearsed?"  
  
"I see you come in this building every morning. I asked a few people downstairs about which room you guys hang out and they led me here."  
  
"Oh. . . but this isn't really the perfect time to be visiting." Katie said.  
  
"I'm sorry. Can I come back anytime?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Alright. I'll see ya." Katie closed the door and joined the others.  
  
Michael stood in front of the door now with his cellphone pressed on his ear.  
  
"Dude, I found it." He said softly to someone on the other line.  
  
Michael put his phone down with a malicious grin on his face and walked his way out of the building, seeming to be excited about 'something' coming up.  
  
End of Chapter 2  
  
- Er. . . What do you think? Please review. Chapter 3 is coming soon. 


	3. Freddy and Katie Quarrels

Chapter 3: Freddy and Katie Quarrels  
  
"You kids are incredible! I like the music! Oh my. . ." Ms. Mullins was indeed proud of her students and to show how excited she was for the band, she came by at around 3:00 to watch them rehearse.  
  
"And Zack! Your guitar solo is just absolutely wonderful!" she added still with great amazement for the kids. "And Dewey. . . how I admire the way you lead these talented 12-year-olds!"  
  
"Oh stop saying that, Ross!" Dewey said in an unbelievably humble tone.  
  
"No, Dewey, I mean it."  
  
"Well. . . I knew that. . ."  
  
"Oh gosh!" Ms. Mullins said as she checked her watch. "I have to go. Ms. Lemons is probably waiting for me at the boutique!"  
  
"Oh, do you really have to go? We still haven't shown you our version of 'Smoke on the Water.' " Dewey said frowning a bit.  
  
"I'm sorry, Dewey, maybe next time. But I promise all of you that I'll be there! I'll be watching you perform during eliminations." She joyfully said goodbye to everyone and left the room with a big smile on her face.  
  
"I never knew how cool she could get . . ." Marta said as everybody went busy again.  
  
-----------------------------------------------  
  
Band practice was over and as usual, Katie went to the grocery store to wait for her mom and hopefully, meeting up with Michael again. When Katie arrived in front of the store she was surprised to see Michael who was sitting on the bench waiting for her.  
  
"Hey! How's practice?" Michael asked.  
  
"Good. We're getting better." Katie answered as she sat down next to him.  
  
"Say would you mind if I. . . watch your rehearsals tomorrow?"  
  
"Why? Why do you want to watch?" Katie asked curiously.  
  
"Nothing. I just . . . wanted to see how good you guys are." Michael said uneasily.  
  
"Oh. . . I dunno. It's Dewey. He might not like any visitors during practices."  
  
"Oh. . . but I'll still try and. . . come tomorrow . . ."  
  
"Fine. . . whatever you say . . ."  
  
Suddenly a familiar voice called.  
  
"Katie!"  
  
It was Zack. He was running towards them. Walking slowly behind him was Freddy.  
  
"Hi Zack." Katie greeted. Katie took a quick glance at Freddy, who was standing awkwardly beside Zack.  
  
"Hi Freddy." She said a bit coldly not looking at him.  
  
"Hi." Freddy answered faintly.  
  
"Anyway, Zack this is Michael. Michael this is Zack, our band's lead guitarist."  
  
"Hey, man what's up?" Zack said nicely offering him a handshake.  
  
"Hey, dude."  
  
"So. . . what are you two doing here all alone?" Zack teased. Freddy noticed Katie blush.  
  
"Well. . . this is where we usually hang out. . .after you guys rehearse."  
  
"Oh, so you've been seeing each other lately?" Freddy gave Zack a slight nudge on the ribs.  
  
"Y-yeah . . . but not seeing, seeing. Seeing as in meeting up, hanging out. . . . . chillin' "  
  
"Oh. . . so what are ----"  
  
"Zack!" Freddy and Katie said in unison. They looked at each other in surprise.  
  
"Um. . . well I have to go. I promised my mom that I'd be home before 7. I'll see you guys around. See you tomorrow, Katie!" Michael waved a hand at them as he crossed the street towards a bus stop.  
  
"Aren't you two getting sick of each other?" Freddy said annoyingly.  
  
"Oh I just admire the way you pretend being nice and quiet." Katie said sarcastically as she stood up face to face with Freddy. Zack stared at them not knowing what's going on.  
  
"Oh thank you." Freddy said a jolt of sarcasm written all over his face.  
  
"Well, you're very much welcome."  
  
"Hey guys, c'mon. . . not here. . ." Zack said but he was completely ignored by his two angry friends.  
  
"Why do you always see him?" Freddy snapped.  
  
"Because he's my friend. Duh."  
  
"For like what? A week?"  
  
"There's nothing bad about that."  
  
"Nothing bad?"  
  
"The heck do you care anyway?"  
  
"Why are you changing the topic?"  
  
"Because talking about this is silly!"  
  
"You like him don't you?"  
  
"Is this bugging you so much?"  
  
"Yes!" Freddy exclaimed. Both of them fell silent. Freddy didn't expect to explode in front of Katie like that. Katie's mom arrived a few minutes after. Katie quickly grabbed her bass and before she opened the car door she spoke.  
  
"Well I do like him. Now, are you happy?" Katie slammed the car door in anger. Freddy watched as the car moved away, turning right to the other street then out of sight. Zack was still shocked of what happened. Freddy walked rapidly away also with anger in his mind. Zack, who really didn't know what happened and was eager to ask Freddy about it, followed his friend trying to catch up with him.  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
~ Reviews please! Chapter 4 is coming very soon. 


	4. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed  
  
Katie and Freddy were in non-speaking terms the following day. Katie was still enraged at Freddy. And Freddy was also furious, not quite sure why. He thought about jealousy for a second but he shook his head and refused to believe that he was feeling that way. As for band practice, it's getting better and better everyday and Dewey couldn't feel any happier about the results.  
  
"All right! It's a wrap!" Dewey said in a director-like tone. "You guys are doin' good and I like it!"  
  
"Great. Now, can we have lunch?" Freddy said impatiently. They have been practicing for 4 straight hours non-stop.  
  
"Fine. One hour break!" Everyone went to Dewey's kitchen for a burger except for Katie who shyly approached Dewey.  
  
"Er. . . Dewey. . ." Katie said with difficulty.  
  
"What's up, posh?"  
  
"Is it alright if . . ." Freddy pretended to be fixing up his drum set nearby, but he was actually trying to eavesdrop Katie and Dewey's conversation.  
  
"Yeah?" Dewey said nicely.  
  
"If someone. . . comes over this afternoon?" Freddy knew right away that she was talking about Michael. He felt heat rise up his face as he clutched his drumsticks in fury.  
  
"Why?" Dewey asked looking puzzled.  
  
"What now he wants to hang out with the band?" Freddy interrupted hotly as he stood up and made his way to the kitchen.  
  
"You won't just give it up, won't you?" Katie shouted back. Dewey stared at Katie then to Freddy, with great confusion. Freddy turned his back to face Katie.  
  
"Why were you even listening to us?" she added now walking towards Freddy.  
  
"It's not my fault that your voices were loud enough for me to hear!"  
  
Everyone stared at Katie and Freddy in silence.  
  
"Look, why are you acting like this? You're being so stupid!"  
  
"The only stupid person around here is you and your boyfriend!"  
  
"Michael is not my boyfriend!"  
  
"Hey, hey! What the hell is this?" Dewey said squeezing himself in between Freddy and Katie. Katie and Freddy remained silent.  
  
"Freddy, you started it. You do the explaining." Dewey added.  
  
Freddy stood there staring at the floor in silence. Dewey waited for an answer but Freddy made no sound.  
  
"Okay. . ." Dewey said sarcastically for being 'ignored' by Freddy. "To your corners! NOW!"  
  
It has always been a band rule (made by Dewey and Summer) that whoever fought without any particular reason had to spend an hour in two opposite corners of the room. One will be standing by the kitchen, and one by the window with lots of band stickers on it. Freddy stood by the kitchen and Katie stood by the window. There was actually a reason for Freddy fuming all over Katie; he just chose not to reveal it to everyone just yet.  
  
An hour passed and the band went back to practice. Freddy sat by the drums, still angry. Katie was tuning up her bass a little bit harshly in annoyance. As she was doing this, she suddenly heard the sound of the doorbell. She knew quickly that it was Michael and before Gordon could answer the door she sprinted her way up to the door, with her bass still hanging over her shoulder.  
  
"Gordon. . . I'll . . . get it." Katie said awkwardly as she held the doorknob before Gordon could reach it. Gordon nodded and went back to his laptop.  
  
Katie took a deep breath then opened the door with a forced smile on her face. She was right. It was Michael.  
  
"Hey. . ." Michael greeted handsomely.  
  
"Hey. . .er. . .come in. . ." Katie said awkwardly as Michael stepped into the room.  
  
"Nice place. . .you've got here." Michael said as he examined the room. Everyone stared at him in silence as if he was infected with some disease.  
  
"Um. . . guys. . . er. . .this is my friend. . .Michael." Katie said uncomfortably. "Michael meet the band and the crew."  
  
"Hi." Michael smiled at everyone. Dewey stared at him blankly.  
  
"Hey. . ." Everyone said in unison as they again, busied themselves to what they were doing earlier.  
  
"Dewey, he was the one I was talking to you about. He. . ." Katie paused, glancing at Michael then continued. "He wants to . . . to . . . watch . . . our rehearsal this afternoon."  
  
Dewey stared at Michael perplexedly, his hand on his chin. Katie waited nervously for Dewey's response while Michael just stood there grinning carelessly.  
  
"Okay. . . that's cool with me. . ." Dewey answered. "Just don't interrupt while we're playing alright. . ." Michael nodded.  
  
"Alright, people!" Dewey said now facing the band. Katie quickly went to her position. "Let's kick it from the top. . .Highway to Hell. . ."  
  
Michael put his bag down on the table in front of the band. He opened the zipper slowly, revealing a video camera. A hole as big as the camera's lens was cut out at the side of the bag that was focused towards the band. He quickly pressed the record button; the moment the band played the song's intro then closed his bag as hastily as he could. 'This is it.' Michael told himself, trying to hide a small grin on his face. He pulled a stool from the living room and placed it beside the table, sitting on it casually as he "cheered" for the band. He surely didn't want his bag lying there without guarding it. He'll get caught. His duty was almost complete and he didn't want to mess up the last minute. Soon, the song ended.  
  
"Awesome work, guys! Freddy. . . you're hitting the cymbals hard. I know you're pissed but please don't try to pour out your anger on the drums. Other than that, it's perfect!" Dewey said in a business-like tone.  
  
"You guys rock!" Michael said honestly.  
  
"Thank You." Dewey said plainly giving Michael a quick look then facing the band again. "Okay. . . again from the top!"  
  
This time Michael moved his bag in such a way that it was more focused on Zack. Slowly he pressed the "Zoom In" button for a closer and clearer view of Zack. He had a triumphant look on his face the moment he did this.  
  
The moon was already up when band practice ended. Freddy stuffed his drumsticks inside his bag as he stared menacingly at Michael and Katie who were making their way out of the room. Zack and Freddy were ready to go but before they could step out of the room, Dewey called for Freddy.  
  
"Freddy! Dude, come her for a sec." Dewey said doing a little finger gesture for him to come back inside.  
  
"What's up?" Freddy walked back inside the room, with Zack following him.  
  
"Dude. . . do you have a problem?" Dewey asked softly.  
  
"No. . .why would I have a problem?" Freddy forced a smile.  
  
Dewey stared at him not really convinced of his answer.  
  
"It's this thing with Katie. . . You get so pissed whenever she's around. . . what's up with that?" Dewey asked.  
  
"Yeah, dude." Zack joined in. "I mean, since this Michael guy came around and hung out with Katie. . .you get all. . .freaked out!"  
  
Freddy remained silent. He was getting really obvious with his actions towards Katie that Dewey and Zack were able to notice. The three of them fell in deep silence. Zack was looking at Freddy with great eagerness, waiting for him to answer. Dewey stared at Freddy as if trying to figure something out. . . and after a while of thinking, a teasing smile ran over his face.  
  
"Dude. . ." Dewey said trying hard not to laugh. "Are you having a crush on Katie?"  
  
Zack broke into laughter. Dewey giggled along with him. Freddy was red in the ears with embarrassment as he punched Zack hard on the arm.  
  
"Don't worry, dude. That's normal. . ." Dewey smiled trying to hide his laughter. "Having a little crush on someone is normal. . .there's nothing wrong about that." Zack was still laughing hard.  
  
"Shut up, Zack!" Freddy snapped.  
  
"I'm sorry, dude."  
  
"Freddy, you don't have to get jealous of that. . . jerk!" Dewey said encouragingly. "You're tougher, cooler and hotter than he is! So just. . . ignore that ignoramus and focus on Katie, man! Try to be a little bit more nice to her okay?"  
  
"Fine. . .Whatever." Freddy said lightening up a bit. "Just don't tell anyone Ok?" he added desperately.  
  
"Check." Dewey said grinning.  
  
Freddy and Zack left the room. Freddy felt a little bit lighter now that he was able to tell someone how he really felt. Zack teased Freddy more playfully than ever as they found themselves a seat inside the bus they usually took on the way home. Freddy stared outside the window as the bus passed by the grocery store, and his heart leapt with joy seeing Katie sitting on bench all alone playing with her bass. The image of Katie seemed to have frozen in Freddy's mind as he looked away from the window. He smiled at the thought of it. It was indeed a very tiring day and Freddy's eyes felt weak and soon he fell into peaceful sleep, the image of Katie swimming around his head.  
  
End of Chapter 4  
  
- Please Review! I'll be working on Chapter 5 really soon. 


	5. Because of You

~ Here's the 5th Chapter!  
  
Remember the scene in the movie where there were two guys looking at Dewey's poster? Well. . .I included them in this chapter and since I don't know what their names are I decided to call them Chester and Damon (Chester the one with long hair and Damon with the shorter one). Anyway, I do not own School of Rock! It is officially presented by Paramount pictures.  
  
Chapter 5: Because of You  
  
"Sweet. . ." Chester said dreamily as he watched, with his eyes wide open, the video of School of Rock.  
  
"I can't believe you did it, man!" Damon said excitedly.  
  
"Well I'm smarter than you think." Michael said proudly.  
  
"Now all you have to do. . . is copy them." A tall guy with a strong built came from the kitchen and sat beside Michael. It was Theo, the lead vocalist of the band 'No Vacancy', the band that deliberately kicked Dewey out of it.  
  
"Look at this kid." Chester said as Zack's solo came on the screen. "He's awesome. I don't think I can follow his fingers. . ."  
  
"That's why you need to practice, Chester!" Theo said irritably.  
  
"Theo, dude. . . I mean. . . do you. . . really think this is a good idea?" Neil said apprehensively.  
  
"Neil . . . just shut up! I know what I'm doing!"  
  
"Hah! I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they see our performance." Alan, a blonde, spiky haired guy said.  
  
"That fat ass Dewey's gonna freak out I know it!" Michael said chuckling a bit.  
  
"Now you guys study up! Memorize every single move they make . . .the solos, the movements, the style. . .everything! You guys have only 2 weeks left to practice. Don't fail me or else. . ." Theo's last words were full of threat and warning.  
  
"You can trust us, man." Damon said.  
  
"Alright. Let's go kick some School of Rock ass."  
  
"Woohoo!" Alan shouted enthusiastically, giving Michael a huge high five.  
  
"They are so screwed." Chester said with a triumphant look on his face.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
DEWEY'S APARTMENT  
  
After 5 hours of practice, everyone finally took a break. Dewey thought that the band was really doing good that he decided to extend break times to two hours. But the two hours were nevertheless, dull and boring for everyone (except for Dewey and Frankie who busied themselves in front of the television playing PS2).  
  
Freddy concentrated hard as he tried to write the first stanza of the song he took so long to finish. He stared at the still empty piece of paper, in deep thought but nothing seems to come across his mind at the moment.  
  
"Hey man!" Zack said playfully as he hit Freddy hard on the back. "What's up?"  
  
"None of your business. . ." Freddy answered coldly as he massaged his now aching back.  
  
"Why so cranky?" Zack said provokingly.  
  
"Look, I'm trying to write a song ok? Now, leave me alone!"  
  
"Why don't you try to look for an inspiration? That can help you think." Zack smiled as he pointed at someone just across them. Katie was casually playing with her bass. Freddy stared at her, trying to hide a smile.  
  
"I hope she can help. . ." Zack said softly as he left Freddy's side and walked towards Dewey and Frankie.  
  
Freddy still stared at Katie, not realizing that Zack already left his side. He tried to think hard on what he wanted to write about. He tried to look for inspiration in Katie but he was utterly distracted. He couldn't think deeper because Katie's prettiness was distracting him. He couldn't take his eyes off her.  
  
Suddenly, Katie felt his gaze. She stared back at Freddy, raising an eyebrow, starting to feel awkward at Freddy's stare.  
  
"What are you staring at?" Katie asked Freddy with the usual bossy tone she used when talking to him.  
  
"What? Nothing. . ." Freddy said shyly, looking down back at the still empty piece of paper.  
  
In the middle of the long hours of doing nothing, the doorbell rang. Everyone was pretty surprised for they don't expect much about anyone coming to visit them.  
  
"I'll get it. . ." Katie said sleepily, as she went to answer the door. She opened the door and all of a sudden she felt her heartbeat stop.  
  
"Hey Katie."  
  
Michael was standing in front of her with the usual cool grin that seemed to never leave his handsome face.  
  
"Oh. . .um. . .hi. . ." Katie said uneasily.  
  
"I just. . .thought I'd. . .pay you a visit. . ." Michael again, did another killer smile, which made Katie turn pink on the cheeks.  
  
"Oh. . .um. . .great. . .er. . .come in. . ."  
  
Freddy clutched his pen tight in his hand in annoyance, as Michael entered the room.  
  
"Hey. . .um. . .guys. . .it's Michael." Katie said awkwardly still.  
  
"Hey. . .what's up? What are you all doing?" Michael said kindly.  
  
"We're on a break." Summer answered. "Wanna. . .have a seat?"  
  
"No, no . . .it's ok. . .I'm cool." Michael said as his eyes gazed upon different directions around the room. Finally his eyes rested on the drum set at the corner of the room. He walked towards it, touching the cymbals excitedly. Katie stood behind him still looking red.  
  
"Hey. . .can. . .I play for a while?" Michael told Katie. "I mean, since you guys are just chillin'. . . maybe I could. . .use it for a while. . ."  
  
Freddy, as expected, was trying to eavesdrop to whatever Michael was saying. He stood up irritably, stuffing his pen and paper inside his backpack.  
  
"Nobody touches my things!" Freddy said loudly. Michael looked at him, a bit surprised. Katie stared at Freddy with raised eyebrows. Her eyes were starting to burn in anger.  
  
"Oh. . .ok. . .sorry. . ." Michael said casually.  
  
"No, no. . .go ahead." Katie told Michael hastily.  
  
"But your friend---"  
  
"Don't mind Freddy. He has always been like that. A selfish, insensitive, rude, lousy DUMBASS!" Katie said loudly enough too so that Freddy could hear. She turned to face Freddy, giving him a provoking smile.  
  
Everyone fell silent as they watched Katie. Zack stared at Freddy as if waiting for him to retaliate. Dewey looked at them with a don't-start- another-fight-or-else look on his face. Freddy met Katie's eyes as if there was electricity connecting their pupils.  
  
Michael started playing the drum part of "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath, completely unaffected of the rising tension between Katie and Freddy.  
  
Everyone watched Michael as he showed off his drum skills to everyone. Dewey walked towards him looking impressed. Katie forced a smile as she watched him, trying to cool herself down a bit.  
  
"Wait, dude. . .stop. . ." Dewey held up his hand, gesturing Michael to stop. "You're pretty good. Are you in a band or something?"  
  
"Um. . ." Michael paused, looking for the right, convincing words to say. He didn't want to reveal anything just yet. "No, no. . .I started playing since I was 5. . .I jam at my cousin's place. He's the one who has a band and sometimes I would. . .chill with them. He lives near here."  
  
"Hmm..." Dewey said, nodding his head slowly in approval as he examined Michael. "That's cool. . .what else can you play?"  
  
"Aside from drums? I also play the bass and lead guitar." Michael quickly stood up and grabbed Zack's guitar. He started playing the intro of "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin.  
  
Zack was nodding his head with the beat of the song, while Freddy, noticing this, elbowed Zack hard on the ribs.  
  
"You know what. . .you alone can be a rock band. . .only if you can play all three instruments at the same time." Dewey said nicely. "But seriously dude, form a band. You're gonna rock, I know it."  
  
Michael grinned. Katie felt so proud of him.  
  
"Anyway, we need to rehearse now. Guys, rock n' roll positions!" Dewey said as he grabbed his guitar, putting it over his shoulder. "You can watch if you want to." Dewey told Michael.  
  
"Oh. . .ah. . .I really have to go. . .I'll try to. . .drop by sometime. . ." Michael said.  
  
"Okay. . .see ya. . ." Dewey said.  
  
"Bye Michael. . ." Marta said dreamily as he passed by her. Michael smiled at her in return.  
  
"So. . .I'll just. . .see you around." Michael told Katie as they both reached the door.  
  
"Yeah. . .same place?" Katie smiled.  
  
"Same place." Michael smiled back. "Bye, Katie."  
  
"Bye." Katie closed the door, smiling broadly and dreamily as she walked back towards the others.  
  
"Oh my god!" Summer squealed.  
  
"Is it just me or is he the cutest guy ever!" Michelle said excitedly.  
  
"Now, you realized." Katie said.  
  
"Great! Now everybody likes him!" Freddy said sarcastically.  
  
"You're just jealous!" Katie said hotly, as she gave Freddy a sharp look.  
  
"And why the hell would I be jealous?" Freddy answered back. Dewey expected to see another war of words between Katie and Freddy, so he decided to act before it's too late.  
  
"Guys, c'mon enough----"  
  
"Because he's obviously a better drummer than you!" Katie told Freddy, completely ignoring Dewey.  
  
"He was just showing off!"  
  
"As if you weren't!"  
  
"I was not!"  
  
"Yes you were! You're always trying to look cool and tough all the time, bullying everyone around. You've never been even nice to Michael. What's with him? Tell me. What is it about him that you hate so much?"  
  
"Everything." Freddy answered with a provoking smile.  
  
"Oh so that's it?! You hate him because---"  
  
"Because of you!" Freddy shouted, standing up, clutching his drumsticks in anger.  
  
Everyone watched them in silence as if they were watching a climax scene in a movie.  
  
"What?" Katie said incredulously.  
  
"It's about you liking him and him liking you. It's pissing me off!" Freddy said a bit calmly now. "Yeah, maybe I'm jealous of him. But not because he's a good drummer. . .nu-uh. It's this thing between the both of you. I don't think you'll understand if I explained it 'cause you have this. . .narrow mind which I can't probably fit myself in 'cause it's already full of Michael!"  
  
Freddy rapidly walked out of the room in silence. Katie remained unspoken, trying to figure out what Freddy has said. But it's finally dawning on her little by little as she tried to rewind again and again in her mind the last words Freddy uttered. She felt nervous at the thought of it but maybe her hunch was right. 'Does he like me?' she told herself. If only she knew how much Freddy does.  
  
End of Chapter 5  
  
~ Erm. . .hope you liked it. Review please! Thanks! 


	6. Suspicions and Realizations

~ Chapter 6! It's pretty long but please read. I'm not good at titles. Thanks for the reviews keep 'em coming.  
  
I do not own School of Rock. It officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Chapter 6: Suspicions and Realizations  
  
It was a hot Friday afternoon. Everyone was so exhausted of the heat that no one seemed to be in the mood of doing anything. It was the day before eliminations of the most awaited Battle of the Bands and was also 2 weeks after Freddy gave Katie a little hint about how he felt, which eventually left Katie thinking about it all week. Ever since that day, Freddy and Katie haven't talked to each other at all. Freddy has never felt so awkward around Katie before. Katie shared the same feeling but still with a lot of questions whirling inside her head.  
  
As for band practice, Dewey surprisingly cancelled it the moment everybody arrived in his apartment. He wanted everyone to relax and "recharge" their energies before the big day. Eventually, they had no choice but to hang out there, trying hard to busy themselves with anything.  
  
"I should've went with my parents to the Dolce and Gabbana fashion symposium! You should've told everyone earlier, Dewey, that you're gonna cancel rehearsals today!" Billy said irritably in her usual, girlish tone.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry okay?" Dewey said thickly, his mouth full of mashed potatoes.  
  
"Porky!" Billy said, as he sat down on the sofa, glaring maliciously at Dewey.  
  
"So what time are we supposed to be here tomorrow?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Oh yeah. I almost forgot." Dewey took a gulp of his root beer, and then continued. "Competition starts 4:00 pm. Be here at 2. Latecomers shall be punished. We'll use the Prep school bus. I already talked to Marty about driving us to the theatre. No dating or any late night parties. Get a goodnight sleep. Any more questions?" Dewey said hurriedly. No one answered, which made Dewey assume that as a "none".  
  
"Good. Now, Frankie, let's do this!" Dewey said sitting in front of the television next to Frankie, the both of them getting addicted to PS2 as usual.  
  
Summer rolled her eyes and continued answering the crossword puzzle at the back of her Seventeen Magazine.  
  
Suddenly, the phone rang. Eleni, who was sitting next to the phone, answered it.  
  
"Hello?. . .Michael, hi!" Eleni said excitedly to the person on the other line. The other girls jumped up in excitement at the mention of Michael's name.  
  
"Katie?. . .hold on a sec." Eleni tossed the cordless phone to Katie. "He wants to talk to you as usual."  
  
"Hello?" Katie stood up, walking towards the kitchen. Freddy watched her from the corner of his eye.  
  
"I thought he wanted to talk to me." Marta said disappointedly. Alicia rolled her eyes at her.  
  
"I'm sorry for not showing up, for weeks now. My parents and I flew to London, and I forgot to tell you. We just came back and as much as I want to visit you guys I can't. My mom told me I need some rest." Michael told Katie. Michael practiced that lie before calling, to make it sound more convincing and true.  
  
"It's okay. So, how did you know Dewey's phone number?" Katie asked.  
  
"So what are you guys doing?" Michael said, trying to avoid answering Katie's question.  
  
"Nothing. We got a break for the whole day."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So, are you. . .coming tomorrow?" Katie said awkwardly.  
  
"Tomorrow? Oh yeah! Battle of the Bands. Um, sure I'll be there."  
  
"Great. So I'll just see you then."  
  
"Yeah. Good Luck."  
  
"Thanks. Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Katie rejoined the others, sitting next to Summer. The girls, including Billy, stared at Katie, with full interest.  
  
"So, what did he say?" Alicia asked.  
  
"Nothing." Katie said firmly.  
  
"C'mon Katie!" Summer begged.  
  
"Is it important to you what he told me?" Katie said a bit panicky. She knew Freddy would react any minute.  
  
"Yeah." Freddy said calmly.  
  
Katie stared nervously at Freddy who was staring back at her. Everyone remained silent (except for Dewey and Frankie whose hysterical laughter can be heard in the background).  
  
"So. . ." Zack stood up, breaking the silence. "You guys wanna hang out at the basketball court?"  
  
"Nah I'm okay here." Tomika said.  
  
"I'll come with you." Freddy said.  
  
"Me too. . ." Lawrence stood up and walked towards Freddy and Zack by the door.  
  
"Anyone else? Katie?" Zack said.  
  
"You guys go on ahead. I'll stay here." Katie said.  
  
"Oh come on Katie! Freddy's gonna need some company!" Zack said jokingly. Freddy punched Zack hard on the arm.  
  
"See you guys later!" Zack waved at everyone in the room and left with Lawrence and a very infuriated Freddy.  
  
"You know what Katie? I think Freddy likes you." Michelle said. "As in like you, like you."  
  
"No way." Katie said uneasily, hiding her face with the Archie comic book she was reading.  
  
---------------------------------------------  
  
BASKETBALL COURT  
  
"Come on, dude I was just joking." Zack said as they entered the court.  
  
"It's not a pretty good joke, man!" Freddy said hotly.  
  
"So you really like Katie, huh?" Lawrence said, as they sat on the benches at the right side of the court.  
  
"Duh, Larry. Of course he does! It's obvious." Zack said.  
  
"Then why don't you tell her?" Lawrence said softly.  
  
"Can you two just, shut up." Freddy said.  
  
Zack giggled teasingly at Freddy but Freddy ignored him. He was watching a group of men enter the court.  
  
"Dude, isn't that Michael?" Freddy told Zack, his eyes focused on the group that just came in.  
  
"Yes. It's him." Lawrence said, straightening up his glasses.  
  
"What's he doing here? Hey, wait." Zack paused. "Is that the guy from No Vacancy?"  
  
"You're right, dude. What's Michael doing hanging out with him?" Freddy said in doubt.  
  
"C'mon man, they're probably friends or something. No big deal." Zack said casually.  
  
"I dunno, man." Freddy said still staring at Michael and his group with great mistrust.  
  
"Dude, you're probably just hungry. C'mon, let's get a hotdog." Zack stood up pulling Freddy's right arm.  
  
Freddy had this strange feeling towards Michael at that moment, and it wasn't good. He knew something was up. He took one last glance at Michael before catching up with Zack and Lawrence. Freddy had a strong gut feeling that Michael was up to no good.  
  
---------------------------------------  
  
DEWEY'S APARTMENT  
  
Back at Dewey's apartment, Zack, Freddy and Lawrence were surprised to find it empty except for Dewey who was sitting on the sofa munching on a bag of Doritos.  
  
"Whoa. Where are the others?" Zack said.  
  
"They went home." Dewey said barely as he munched loudly. "Where have you guys been?"  
  
"Dude, you won't believe who we saw at the basketball court!" Freddy said.  
  
"Who?" Dewey answered dully.  
  
"No Vacancy's front man. And he's with Michael."  
  
"So?"  
  
"What do you mean, so? I think they're up to something." Freddy said a bit jumpy.  
  
"Look, I'm not in the mood for that. You know what, you three better go home. Practice a little then go to sleep alright? Goodbye." Dewey said as he lied down on the sofa covering his face with a pillow.  
  
Freddy swung his backpack irritably over his shoulder, leaving the room with a stiff face.  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
Freddy walked his way towards the bus stop, still looking angry. He was walking so fast that he almost knocked down a little kid he walked into. He passed by the grocery store without bothering to see if Katie was there, which was so unlikely for him because he wouldn't let a day pass without checking the store for Katie. To his surprise someone called for him.  
  
"Freddy!"  
  
He turned his back to face the person whom that voice belonged to. His stiff faced turned calm and pink as he came face to face with Katie, who was standing a few meters from him. Katie walked towards him.  
  
"Hey." Katie said awkwardly.  
  
"Hey." Freddy answered back.  
  
"Um. . .can I talk to you?" Katie said nervously. This wasn't right, she thought. Why is she being so nervous in front of Freddy now?  
  
"Y-yeah. S-sure." Freddy stuttered.  
  
The both of them sat on the bench in front of the grocery store.  
  
"This isn't right." Katie said calmly. "I mean, we haven't talked to each other since that . . .conversation . . .we had."  
  
"Y-yeah. But you started it. You were avoiding me." Freddy said, trying to hide a smile as he attempted to pester Katie, a hobby he actually missed doing.  
  
"Well it's your fault why I was avoiding you!" Katie said sharply.  
  
"What? I'm not doing anything!" Freddy answered back. He felt good now that Katie and him are in their usual hate terms again.  
  
"You said something." Katie said softly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You said---"  
  
But Katie was interrupted when her cellphone rang. Katie quickly answered it. After talking to someone on the other line, she stuffed her cellphone inside her backpack looking disappointed. Freddy stared at her worriedly.  
  
"It's my mom. She couldn't pick me up 'cause she's still at the office. I guess I'll just go home by myself." Katie swung her backpack over her shoulder.  
  
"I'll walk you home." Freddy stood up, and carried Katie's guitar case.  
  
"I was thinking of taking the bus." Katie said grabbing her bass from Freddy.  
  
"Then I'll take the bus with you."  
  
Katie stared at Freddy unbelievingly. Katie couldn't believe how "nice" Freddy was treating her. The bus arrived and the both of them ran towards it as quickly as possible, so that they can find themselves good seats.  
  
"You're acting really weird." Katie said awkwardly as she sat down next to Freddy.  
  
"You should know by now why." Freddy said.  
  
It was a silent trip for Freddy and Katie. Katie kept glancing at Freddy trying to convince herself that he really likes her. Finally the bus reached the stop near Katie's place. She grabbed her backpack and her bass, but before she could leave Freddy's side she spoke.  
  
"I think I get it now, Freddy." Freddy stared at her uneasily. He never got this close to Katie, their noses almost touching each other.  
  
"It's just that I'm still not sure of how I would feel." Katie stood up "Thanks for riding the bus with me." Katie pinched Freddy's cheek playfully then went out of the bus.  
  
Freddy rubbed his painful cheek as he stared outside the window, watching Katie, as she turned right to a street then out of sight. He smiled to himself as the bus moved along again, looking forward on seeing Katie the next day.  
  
End of Chapter 6  
  
~ Well...um, please review. Sorry if this chapter is quite long. Watch out for the 7th chapter soon! 


	7. All Screwed Up Part 1

~ Chapter 7!!!  
  
A lot of people have been asking me about the kids' age. The kids are 12 years old. It was mentioned in the first chapter. It's just some sort of puppy love going on between Freddy and Katie but Freddy will do something really sweet at the very end of this fanfic and I'm not telling ya. . .  
  
I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Chapter 7: All Screwed Up Part 1  
  
"Today's the big day." Theo stood in front of the band he managed. "Don't flunk out."  
  
"Theo, I swear we're gonna kick ass!" Damon said proudly, polishing his bass.  
  
"Of course you owe it all to me." Michael smirked arrogantly.  
  
"Your little cousin here seemed to have learned something from you, Theo" Chester said.  
  
"What do you mean 'little', jackass?" Michael said, hotly.  
  
"Who you calling a jackass, dimwit!" Chester answered back.  
  
"Shut up!" Theo shouted. "I want you guys to show everyone what you got! Show everyone that you're better than some stupid children's wannabe rock band. This is your stepping-stone. If you pass eliminations, then you guys go to the finals. If you outrock School of Rock later, they have no chance of getting in the finals. You gotta admit that they're really good, but in order to get to the top, you just have to get rid of the good ones first. Cheating, screwing, and lying are part of it. You should know that by now."  
  
"Dude, trust us. After our performance, I swear you'll see those kids crying like babies!" Alan said conceitedly.  
  
"Hey Mike what about that girl? The bassist?" Damon said. "I mean, you screwed her big time!"  
  
"So what? She's the one stupid enough to trust me. It ain't my fault." Michael said, grinning insensitively.  
  
"Alright! I wanna hear you from the top one last time! Highway to Hell, kick it Chester!" Theo ordered as Chester played the guitar intro.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
DEWEY'S APARTMENT  
  
"Alright! Now that's what I call a great rock n' roll performance!" Dewey said approvingly as they finished rehearsing their song one last time before the performance itself. "Now fix yourselves up, we'll be leaving at around 3. Summer, come here we have to talk about something."  
  
"Do you think we're gonna win?" Tomika said.  
  
"Of course, Tomika! We kick ass!" Freddy said coolly.  
  
"Don't be too sure, Freddy. You have to admit that there are a lot of pretty good bands out there who'll be competing." Michelle said.  
  
"Besides, it's alright if we don't win first place. The important thing is to get into the Top 6 so that we can enter the finals and win it." Alicia said.  
  
"Is Michael going to be there?" Marta asked Katie.  
  
"Y-yeah. I think so." Katie said.  
  
"Speaking of that ugly goat." Freddy glanced at Katie who was glaring at him irritably. How he loves to see Katie looking pissed. "We saw him yesterday at the court, hanging out with that Theo guy from No Vacancy."  
  
"That can't be. He told me he just came from London and that he had to rest that's why he couldn't visit." Katie said apprehensively.  
  
"He didn't look tired, to me. In fact, he was definitely having a good time" Zack said.  
  
"No. He told me---"  
  
"Maybe he was lying to you." Freddy said. Katie stared at him in disbelief.  
  
"He wouldn't do that."  
  
"What makes you so sure?"  
  
"I trust him. He's my friend."  
  
"C'mon, Katie. The fact that he's hanging out with Dewey's archenemy, that's really something to doubt. Honestly, the first time I saw him I knew I'd never trust him."  
  
"Well it's because you've been jealous of him."  
  
Everyone remained silent. Katie suddenly realized the damage of what she has said.  
  
"I'm sorry." Katie said sincerely.  
  
"Yeah. It's nothing." Freddy said softly.  
  
Billy came with their costumes, and soon everybody got dressed. Everyone was quite surprised to see that their costumes didn't have anything glittery or flashy on it. It was casual and comfortable, probably the best costumes Billy has designed.  
  
An hour passed and everybody went down to meet Marty, the driver of the school bus. They settled themselves in the bus and before they left, Dewey gave his usual "encouragement" talk.  
  
"Okay, guys. This is it. Our goal is to get in the Top 6. Do your best. We can rock that theatre anytime. I can feel it! Now, remember, no pre- performance jitters. There's no point getting nervous 'cause we've done this a million times. Now let's do this!"  
  
Everybody cheered as the bus moved along the smooth road. Dewey played his Ramones CD in the bus' radio and jammed along with it together with the kids. Freddy was surprised to see Katie sitting next to him. She looked pretty, he thought. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail with a few loose hairs coming down from the side of her ears.  
  
"I'm sorry for what I said a while ago." Katie told Freddy.  
  
"C'mon, Katie, it's nothing." Freddy said casually.  
  
Katie smiled as she pinched playfully once again, Freddy's cheeks.  
  
"Ow! Why do you always do that!" Freddy said, as he rubbed his now aching cheeks.  
  
"Nothing." Katie grinned as she left Freddy's side and sat next to Marta.  
  
After 20 minutes of travel time, they finally arrived to the theatre. Despite of the mad crowd, the band and crew managed to enter the venue without being entangled with the people waiting outside. Finally they reached the backstage.  
  
"School of Rock. Band and crew. Are we late?" Dewey asked Prudence, the lady in charge of the backstage.  
  
"No, you're just in time. Band no. 1 is already playing. You'll be performing last right? Alright get in here, you guys." Prudence led them inside the backstage area. "There's a TV over there so that you can watch every band's performance. Other than that, I wish you guys good luck."  
  
"Thanks." Dewey said nicely.  
  
The bands that competed were pretty good. The first band "Crude Oil" did a very cool version of "Dazed and Confused" by Led Zeppelin. The second band was an all girl group, who made a cover of a Siouxsie and the Banshees song. Dewey and the band watched each band with full interest. In the middle of the performance of "The Antagonists", the 10th band to perform a deep voice addressed Dewey and his band.  
  
"Well, well, well look who we got here."  
  
Dewey turned his back to see who it was. It was Theo and his dogs.  
  
"Theo? What the hell are you doing here?" Dewey said in disbelief.  
  
"Long time no see, Dewey. I see you're with the Nickelodeon band of yours."  
  
Freddy took a step forward, staring maliciously at Theo.  
  
"Meet my band, 'Smoke'. I manage them. That's Damon, Chester, Alan and my cousin Michael." Theo said.  
  
"Michael? What? I don't---"Before Katie could finish, Theo interrupted.  
  
"Oh sorry, miss. Gotta go. My band has to get on stage now. See you later, Dewey."  
  
Freddy stared at Michael, who gave him a sarcastic smile before he got on the stage. Freddy was so furious.  
  
"Okay. . .so what the hell is going on?" Summer said tensely.  
  
Suddenly, they heard the intro of a very familiar song accompanied by the wild cheer of the audience. Dewey and the others ran to the TV and watched, in horror the band 'Smoke', playing their song.  
  
"They. . .they stole our song!" Marta squealed.  
  
Freddy clutched his fists in anger. Zack had this sharp look on his eyes, a look no one have ever seen from Zack before. Katie was so shocked to see that Smoke performed exactly the way they have rehearsed the song. Her eyes were starting to cloud with tears as she watched Michael on the TV, drumming boastfully doing a little bit of Freddy's drum styles.  
  
"Dewey, what are we going to do?!" Summer shouted.  
  
"Holy shit." Dewey whispered angrily. He promised himself before that no one could ever screw him up again. But it was all happening again and worse, in the hands of Theo once more.  
  
End of Chapter 7  
  
~ Part two is coming shortly. I promise! 


	8. All Screwed Up Part 2

~ Ahhh!!! Here's Part 2 of All Screwed Up. Enjoy and review.  
  
I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Chapter 8: All Screwed Up Part 2  
  
"Band meeting right now!" Dewey shouted as they moved away from the TV, forming a circle in one side of the room.  
  
"Look, I don't know how this all happened but its really really ugly and I'm pissed off!!!" Dewey said furiously.  
  
"That Michael has obviously something to do with all this!" Freddy said hotly.  
  
"Do you know anything about this, Katie?" Eleni asked carefully.  
  
"No! I swear to God, I don't!" Katie said hoarsely as tears start falling down her cheeks. She was shaking in disappointment and at the same time, anger.  
  
"C'mon let's talk about that later! We need to think of what to do!" Summer said desperately.  
  
"We have to change our song, it's the only way!" Dewey said.  
  
"But what about the hard work we poured out on rehearsing that goddamn song?!" Zack said furiously.  
  
"I know, Zack! But man, we can't play the same song." Dewey said. The guitar solo came on the TV screen and they watched Chester, doing a perfect imitation of Zack's solo. "See? He even copied you!"  
  
"But what song are we going to play?" Lawrence asked calmly.  
  
"How about Long Way to the Top?" Alicia suggested.  
  
"What are you talking about, Alicia, that was ages ago!" Dewey screamed.  
  
"Stiff Upper Lip?" Frankie said.  
  
"We haven't finished that one!"  
  
"How about Smoke on the Water? I mean, aside from Highway to Hell, we practiced that one, though only once or twice." Zack said.  
  
"Alright. You guys, Smoke on the Water. I know you guys know your parts just give your best shot! Let's show them what we've got alright!" Dewey said trying hard to encourage everyone despite of the tensed atmosphere.  
  
The crowd roared as Smoke ended their performance. They got in the backstage again, approaching Dewey and the others.  
  
"Enjoyed the show?" Alan said tauntingly, before the 4 of them walked away and went to Theo.  
  
"C'mon guys. We can do this. We're gonna kick ass!"  
  
Dewey and the others entered the stage and the audience went wild once again. Katie forced a smile while Freddy couldn't wipe off the stiffness on his face.  
  
"Um, We're School of Rock. And we are going to do a version of a Deep Purple classic, Smoke on the Water." Dewey said. The audience howled and cheered, as Zack began playing the intro.  
  
At the backstage, Theo and his band watched closely as School of Rock made their performance.  
  
"Well what do you know? They changed their song." Theo said grinning devilishly. Chester and Damon laughed hysterically.  
  
But there was something wrong with their performance. Freddy was still very angry that he hit the drums too hard; Zack was very stiff, his eyes still had the cold and sharp look he had earlier; Katie tried hard to focus on her chords difficultly; Lawrence managed to give the audience a smile, but his nervousness made him forget his chords on a certain part of the song; the back-up singers were jittery as well that their choreography turned out unsynchronized. Then Zack's solo came up. He moved a little though not really feeling the song. The audience's noise died down as they watch them perform. Dewey knew right away that they sucked but he still kept his spirited attitude on stage. The song ended and the audience gave them a warm applause. Dewey and the others exited the stage with sour looks on their faces.  
  
"C'mon guys! It wasn't that bad!" Theo said sarcastically.  
  
Dewey ran to Theo, grabbing him around the collar. "What do you want from me huh? Why are you doing this? You screwed me once before and now you're doing it again. What the hell is your goddamn problem, you bastard?!"  
  
"Hey, hey get your filthy hands off me!" Theo got hold of Dewey's hand, pushing it away.  
  
"And now the moment we have all been waiting for. I'm here to announce the 6 lucky bands to be entering the finals of 2004 Summerblast Battle of the Bands which is going to be held on August 6th, two weeks from now, on the same venue." Prudence paused then continued. "On 6th place, congratulations to the School of Rock!"  
  
The audience applauded. Dewey felt a little bit lighter now that they're entering the finals but Freddy and Zack weren't happy at all. If there was one thing Freddy hated, that was being stabbed in the back.  
  
'The Antagonists' came in fifth followed by the all girl group 'Pluto's Agony' in fourth. 'The Flop' came in third and 'Crude Oil' in second.  
  
"And in first place, congratulations to Smoke!"  
  
The crowd went wild as the band Smoke came out the stage once again. Dewey and the others felt so angry and disappointed. That was their song. That was their performance. They should've won first place.  
  
"Dewey, what happened?" Ms. Mullins entered the backstage and ran towards them.  
  
"It's a long story, Ross." Dewey said disappointedly.  
  
"C'mon, Dewey. There's still finals. We just won first, that's no big deal. Besides, it's not our fault that we were way better than your stupid band! And---"  
  
Before Theo could finish, Dewey flew a fist right onto Theo's right eye.  
  
"Take that, you nasty, little piece of shit." Dewey said, walking away. Ms. Mullins followed him. Damon, Chester and Alan crowded around their knocked- out band manager.  
  
"Hey, Freddy!" Michael said tauntingly as he approached Freddy. Freddy glared at him furiously. "Man, what happened to you out there? I thought you were a good drummer. But it turns out I'm so much better."  
  
"You don't know who you're talking to, jackass!" Freddy pushed Michael hard.  
  
"Freddy!" Katie held Freddy's arm, stopping him.  
  
"After all he's done to you, you still take his side? Dammit, Katie, wake up!" Freddy said, shaking her hand off his arm as he walked out of the backstage. Katie was about to follow him when Michael suddenly addressed her.  
  
"Hey Katie." Michael said, giving her an obvious, fake smile.  
  
"Michael, why are you doing this? I thought you were my friend." Katie said.  
  
"The lesson here, Katie, is don't trust anybody you hardly knew. 'Cause surely, you'll end up being stabbed in the back. Like what I did."  
  
"Why?" Tears are rolling down, Katie's cheeks once again.  
  
"Aww. . .don't cry. I knew from the start that you like me. So I took advantage of it. And you, being a stupid girl as you are became head over heels in love with me. Well, it's not my fault that I'm good looking. But sorry, miss. You're not my type. You're ugly."  
  
"Kiss my ass!" Katie said irritably, wiping the tears from her eyes.  
  
"I'd love to. Want me to do it now?"  
  
"YOU ASSHOLE!" Katie punched Michael hard on the nose, knocking him off his feet. She ran away without looking back at him. Katie felt miserable. The boy whom she thought was her dream guy just betrayed her. She ran away angrily, cursing Michael under her breath.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
SCHOOL BUS  
  
Everyone in the bus was silent. Dewey sat on the front seat, with his hand on his face. Zack had his head leaned on the window, staring blankly on the floor. Freddy stared stiffly at the window. They never expected something like this to happen. They never saw it coming.  
  
Katie arrived. She kept her head down as she took a seat at the back of the bus. She was so guilty of what happened. It was obvious that Michael had something to do with it and knowing that she's the only one in the band closest to him, she felt blameworthy for everything.  
  
"Let's go, Marty." Dewey said softly.  
  
It was a quiet trip home. No one made a noise. Summer, who was getting irritable of everyone's actions, decided to break the deafening silence;  
  
"C'mon guys! At least we entered finals!" Summer stood up firmly.  
  
"You don't understand. We were screwed." Zack said gloomily.  
  
"I understand that perfectly! But hello? It's not the end of the world. We can fight back during finals!" Summer said.  
  
"It's Michael. He planned everything!" Marta said angrily.  
  
"Or maybe he planned it with someone in the band!" Freddy said loudly. Katie stared at him shockingly. "I mean, c'mon, who's the one person he's been very close to?"  
  
Everyone glanced at Katie but quickly turned away.  
  
"Freddy, I have never ever done anything to put this band in trouble!" Katie said furiously. "I will never betray any of you! You know that!"  
  
"Yeah, well. . .you trusted him more than you trusted me." Freddy said coldly.  
  
"That's not true!" Katie said hoarsely. Her eyes are starting to fill with tears again.  
  
"So that's why you always want him around during practices, huh? To spy on us."  
  
"That's stupid! You know what, you never changed at all. You're still the same arrogant and obnoxious Freddy Jones I know."  
  
The bus pulled over in front of Katie's house. Katie angrily grabbed her bass and before she walked towards the bus door, she gave out a few more words.  
  
"I'm starting to like you, Freddy but I guess it's not too late for my feelings to change." Katie walked out of the bus, looking sad and disappointed. She entered their house, went up the stairs to her room, and in there when privacy was finally dawning all over her, she sank her face on a pillow and burst into tears.  
  
End of Chapter 8  
  
~ Um . . .please tell me what you think. 


	9. Leave Me Alone

I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
~ Here's the 9th chapter. Please read and review.  
  
Chapter 9: Leave Me Alone  
  
It was a hot and exhausting Monday morning. The sun's heat was getting more intense as the days of the summer season pass by. The band had a three-day break and would come back on Thursday for another stressful and tiring day of rehearsals.  
  
Katie sat by the window of her room, staring blankly at the busy streets below. She still could not forget about what happened last Saturday, and wasn't quite sure if she could face the band on the day band practice resumed. She had a mixed feeling of guilt, disappointment and anger. She has been thinking about three main things; the band, Michael and Freddy.  
  
The song "Tangerine" kept playing over and over again in Katie's Winamp player in her PC. Probably the first time she ever listened to a mellow Zeppelin tune.  
  
Suddenly someone knocked on her door.  
  
"Come in!" Katie said loudly, approaching her PC and finally putting a stop to Tangerine's playing repeatedly.  
  
"Honey, Summer, Marta and Alicia are here. They want to talk to you." Katie's mom stuck her head out of the partly open door.  
  
"Okay. Bring them in." Katie said as she sat back by the window. Her mom left the room and soon Summer, Marta and Alicia entered.  
  
"Hey, Katie." Marta said warmly.  
  
"Hey." Katie said giving them a small smile. "Sit down."  
  
"So. . .are you alright?" Summer said as she sat on Katie's bed.  
  
"Not really." Katie answered, forcing a smile.  
  
"Still thinking about what happened last Saturday?" Alicia said. Katie nodded faintly.  
  
"I'm sorry for what happened." Katie said.  
  
"No, Katie, it's not your fault!" Summer said uncontrollably.  
  
"No. I mean, if I hadn't befriended Michael, things wouldn't turn out like this. I don't know how I would face Lawrence, Zack, Freddy and Dewey. I betrayed them. They trusted me so much, especially Dewey! And look what I gave in return." Katie said avoiding her friends' eyes.  
  
"You didn't betray anyone! It was Michael who lied to you. You didn't know that that would happen!" Summer said, trying to make Katie feel irresponsible from all the blame.  
  
"Summer is right, Katie. You don't have to blame yourself." Marta said.  
  
"But what would the others say? They probably. . .don't trust me anymore."  
  
"Stop saying that. Anyway, we're here to invite you to come with us. We're going to the mall. My mom will drive us." Summer said.  
  
"No, no I can't." Katie said quickly.  
  
"Oh come on, Katie! It'll be fun! " Marta stood up, pulling Katie's right arm.  
  
"Thanks guys but I'm really not in the mood." Katie said.  
  
"Girl, just forget about your problems for once and try to have fun. C'mon!" Alicia said. "Now get dressed, we'll wait for you downstairs!" Alicia threw Katie a Black Sabbath t-shirt from the side of the bed and a pair of jeans.  
  
Katie stared at the three girls as they left the room. She shook her head slightly in disagreement. She didn't quite like the idea of going to the mall but realizing her friends' great effort to make her feel better, she fixed herself up and got dressed  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
THE MALL  
  
"C'mon, Katie! Aren't you at least going to buy anything?" Summer said carrying several shopping bags.  
  
The four girls have been roaming around the mall for about 2 hours now.  
  
"No thanks." Katie said nicely.  
  
"How are you supposed to have fun if you refuse to buy anything?" Alicia said.  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
A pretty girl was waving at them from outside the Dickies store. She was with a cute guy whom everyone noticed as Freddy.  
  
"Michelle!"  
  
The girls hurriedly approached Michelle and Freddy, except for Katie who was walking more slowly than her friends.  
  
"What are you guys doing here?" Marta asked.  
  
"Shopping of course! Freddy here, offered me some company" Michelle said, clinging her left arm around Freddy's right arm. Katie stared at the both of them, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh. Look who we brought along!" Summer said, pulling Katie, who was standing gloomily at their backs, to her side. Freddy stared at Katie in surprise.  
  
"Oh." Michelle's high spirits have gone away and were replaced by a sudden cold look in her eyes. "What's she doing here?" Michelle added in a sharp tone.  
  
"What do you mean about that?" Alicia said irritably.  
  
"I mean, after what she did to the band you guys still hang out with her?" Michelle said.  
  
"She didn't do anything, Michelle!" Alicia said hotly, moving closer to Michelle.  
  
"Whatever." Michelle said staring at a silent Katie from head to foot. "C'mon Freddy, let's go."  
  
Michelle, still clinging tight to Freddy's arm, intentionally bumped Katie as she and Freddy walked away. Katie felt her eyes burn in anger.  
  
"See what I mean? That's why I'm better off at home!" Katie said annoyingly as she started walking rapidly away from Summer, Alicia and Marta.  
  
"Katie, wait!" the three shouted in unison as they ran after Katie to stop her.  
  
"What?" Katie said impatiently.  
  
"Look, just ignore Michelle. Don't get yourself affected of what she said." Summer said.  
  
"I swear I'm gonna make that girl pay!" Alicia said angrily.  
  
"Guys, look. . .I'm not really in the mood to have fun. A lot of things are still bothering me and I don't think I can really enjoy what we're doing with so many things in my mind. I'm not ready. But really, thanks for the company. It made me feel a bit lighter. I'll see you guys." Katie walked away, leaving the three girls who felt extremely sympathetic for their friend.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Katie walked along the sidewalk with her arms crossed. She was completely bothered at the way Michelle approached her. 'Great. She's angry with me. What more with Billy and the others?' she told herself as she turned left along Burger King. But that wasn't the only thing that bothered her. 'Why is she with Freddy?' she thought. 'And why would Freddy offer her some company?' Katie walked a little bit more rapidly now at the thought of this.  
  
'He's making a move on her? What, just because of what happened his feelings towards me suddenly changed? And besides, I didn't do anything wrong! He should apologize to me. I would forgive him. Or maybe he wouldn't have time to think of doing that, since he has oh-so-perfect-and-beautiful Michelle to spend time with! Damn you, Freddy! He's so stupid! He doesn't even care about my feelings! He's supposed to like me, like me!'  
  
Katie was lost in thought that she didn't realize she bumped into someone.  
  
"Watch it!" a tall, plump boy in his teens said in annoyance.  
  
Katie lifted her head up to face the boy and said, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Sorry? That's it? After bumping into my friend that's all you have to say?" a slim boy said.  
  
"Well. . .yes!" Katie said casually. "What's the big deal?"  
  
"Tough, eh?" the plump boy said provokingly. "Looks like I need to teach you a lesson, girly!"  
  
The slim dude grabbed Katie by the wrist pulling her to come with them.  
  
"Let go of me you freak!" Katie shouted. The two guys brought her to a narrow alleyway. The slim dude pushed her towards the wall, her left cheek landing roughly on the brick wall.  
  
"What do you want?" Katie said facing the two guys, feeling her painful cheek.  
  
"Just a little bit of fun." The plump boy said as he clenched his fist tightly, ready to attack Katie. The slim dude was laughing hysterically. "You wouldn't be so tough after I give you a good hit on the nose now would you?"  
  
Katie stepped back, her back leaning on the wall. She was trapped. She shut her eyes tight as the boy swung his fist aiming for her face, but before it could reach her, she heard two sudden breaks of glass. Katie opened her eyes and saw the two boys lying unconscious on the ground.  
  
"They sure don't have a nice way to have fun."  
  
Katie stared at the person who spoke. A good-looking boy was standing by the alley opening, grinning madly at her. Katie scowled at the sight of him.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Katie said angrily. The boy happens to be Michael.  
  
"What am I doing here? I just saved your butt!" Michael said arrogantly.  
  
"If you don't leave, I swear I'm going to break your neck!" Katie said warningly.  
  
"You weren't so tough in front of those two jerks. I guess handsome guys make you all fired up!" Michael said. In as quick as a bullet, Katie slapped him on the face and angrily, she walked out of the alley.  
  
"Ow! Hey! Wait!"  
  
Michael ran after Katie, who was walking hurriedly along the sidewalk.  
  
"Aren't you even going to say thank you? I saved you!" Michael shouted, closing in behind Katie.  
  
"Can you just leave me alone!" Katie said facing Michael. "You just ruined my life! You lied to me, you screwed us in Battle of the Bands. My friends hate me because of you! Aren't you even satisfied with that? So please, leave me alone! And I swear, if you show up your face to me again you'll get more than a slap!" Katie walked away angrily, crossing the street towards the bus stop.  
  
Michael walked away silently. He has been thinking about lots of things too. Of course he was happy for winning first place during eliminations. He was indeed pleased for beating School of Rock to the top spot. But somewhere inside him he felt guilty. Not because of what he did to the band but because of what he did to Katie. He didn't know why it was only then that he realized how bad he was for hurting Katie so much. At first he didn't like to admit to himself that he felt awful for what he did to her. But now it was all coming to him. If only he could think of a way to make Katie listen to him. . .  
  
End of Chapter 9  
  
~ Please tell me what you think. Thanks! 


	10. Liar?

I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures  
  
Chapter 10: Liar?  
  
"Where's Katie? First day of band practice for finals and she's late." Dewey said, sipping on his coffee.  
  
"What? You mean she's still part of the band?" Michelle said incredulously.  
  
"What do you mean?" Dewey said, biting his lip.  
  
"After what happened last Saturday, I thought you recruited a new bassist." Michelle said confidently.  
  
"Michelle, do me a favor. Please shut up." Alicia snapped. Michelle gave Alicia a vicious stare.  
  
"Now here are a few reminders. Finals is on August 6. That means we only have less than two weeks to rehearse. This time we will be performing our original song. You guys can---"  
  
Dewey was interrupted by a sound of a door being closed. Katie just entered. As she expected, everyone gazed at her in silence as she sat next to Summer. Michelle stared at her with raised eyebrows. Dewey cleared his throat to draw back everyone's attention to him and continued;  
  
"As I was saying, we will be performing our own song. Now I know that we have written several ones already but I still want you guys to write some. It's better if we played new material. So---yes, Michelle."  
  
"Shouldn't we make new rules like, no outsiders allowed during band rehearsals or no spying for other bands? 'Cause both has already happened and as you guys know, the consequences we had to suffer were really ugly and we don't want to make the same mistake again. Oh and another one! Maybe those involved should not be allowed to play during Finals but instead, get replaced." Michelle said self-assuredly. Everyone stared at Michelle in silence. Katie felt heat rise up her face. She knew completely that Michelle was pertaining to her.  
  
"Michelle, why don't you just say it to my face that you think I'm a liar. I'm dishonest." Katie said hotly. "'Cause it's obvious that you're hitting it on me!"  
  
"Glad you noticed." Michelle said sarcastically. Katie stood up, trying her best to hold her temper.  
  
"Look, guys. . ." Katie said difficultly to everyone. "I'm sorry. If. . .if I just didn't make friends with Michael, things wouldn't be like this for us. If I didn't trust him so much, I wouldn't be so hurt about what he did and now, to add up to all the hurt, Michelle thinks that I am involved with the spying. But I'll tell you guys honestly that I didn't have anything to do with it. I did not help Michael to spy on us. I would never ever put this band in trouble. If only I knew right away that he was lying to me then I would have prevented all these to happen. I know some of you won't believe me" Katie took a quick glance at Freddy "But what I'm saying is true. I'm really sorry. Zack, Lawrence and especially you, Dewey. I failed you. After all you've done for me, teaching me techniques, the support you've given. Look what I showed you in return . . ."  
  
"Katie." Dewey said. "There's really no point apologizing. Because you didn't do anything wrong. It was Michael who screwed us. It's his fault not yours. If someone needs to do some apologizing it's him, not you because you didn't do anything! So please, Katie, don't blame yourself."  
  
"But I thought you guys believed that I helped Michael copy our performance, since I'm the one who's close to him." Katie said shyly.  
  
"I never believed that, Katie." Lawrence said nicely.  
  
"Honestly, Katie, we're the ones who should apologize." Zack said sincerely. "I mean, some of us quite believed that you had something to do with what happened. You know, instead of fully trusting you, we sort of doubted you even just a little. I'm sorry."  
  
"I'm sorry too." Leonard said softly.  
  
Everybody except for Freddy and Michelle, went to Katie to apologize. Freddy didn't move. It's not that he didn't believe Katie it's just that he was hoping to talk to her in private. As for Michelle, she still didn't want to believe what Katie has said. She remained seated on the floor, scowling.  
  
"Great. Now that everyone is in peace let me continue what I was saying a while ago." Dewey said. "I need you guys to write a song. It can be about anything as long as you give me good lyrics. I need the lyrics tomorrow pronto, understand? Alright, let's rock!"  
  
The band took their positions and started playing an original song called "Electrify" written by Dewey. The band was such in a good mood, again with the exception of Freddy who was thinking of how he would talk to Katie.  
  
Gordon was creating the band's official website in his laptop while Billy was scanning different rock magazines to come up with a new idea for the band's costumes. Eventually that was what everyone did all day.  
  
It was 5:30pm when band practice ended. Freddy stared at Katie, who was fixing up her backpack. He walked heavily over to her, his feet making little steps as if something hurt his toes. He opened his mouth to speak as he reached Katie but before he could utter a word someone spoke.  
  
"C'mon Freddy, let's go home."  
  
Freddy looked back at Katie as Michelle was dragging him out of the room. Katie frowned as she carried her guitar case, swinging her backpack over her shoulder. 'Damn it Katie, why are you feeling this way? You're not jealous, you're not jealous, you're not jealous" Katie told herself more than once as she took the stairs and went down to the first floor.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Katie sat on the bench in front of the grocery store as she always did while waiting for her mom. The tangerine sky reflected its color on the houses below it as the sun peacefully set. Katie watched this happen, singing the song "Tangerine" to herself. It has been her favorite rock ballad ever since. It was Freddy who recommended her to listen to it. And then again she thought about Freddy. 'Damn, why is he always stuck in my head?' she told herself. She felt weird about it. She noticed that she has been thinking about Freddy almost all the time. The fact that Michelle and Freddy are always together totally bugged her. She doesn't know why but maybe she really does. She just needs to be more frank to herself instead of keeping on denying things.  
  
Tiny, silvery dots started glistening over the now deep blue sky. Katie was still deep in thought as she stared on the dusty sidewalk. Soon she no longer found herself staring on the dusty sidewalk but instead was now staring at a pair of Nike rubber shoes, belonging to a person standing firmly in front of her. She gently looked up at the person who owned those rather familiar shoes, scowling as she recognized whom it was.  
  
"Hey Katie. What's up?" Michael said casually, his hands in his pocket.  
  
Katie quickly grabbed her bass and her backpack, trying to escape but Michael quickly seized her arm.  
  
"Katie, we need to talk." Michael said.  
  
But before Michael could say anything else, Katie kicked him hard on the knee.  
  
"Ow! Dammit! What was that for?" Michael said, half kneeling on the ground.  
  
"I told you that you'll get more than a slap if you show your face to me again." Katie said, trying to leave but Michael, again, successfully seized her arm.  
  
"Look, Katie we need to talk."  
  
"I don't want to hear anything from you. Now please just---"  
  
"What the hell is this?"  
  
A voice interrupted Katie. She quickly turned her back and her mouth fell open as she came face to face with Freddy.  
  
"Freddy!" Katie said in a panicky tone.  
  
"What the hell are you doing hanging out with HIM?" Freddy said irritably.  
  
"I'm not hanging out with him! He was. . .he was. . ." Katie struggled for words as Freddy stared at her with flaming eyes.  
  
"Well well well. . .look who we got here." Michelle suddenly emerged beside Freddy.  
  
"Look, it's not what you think it is!" Katie said.  
  
"So what you said to everyone this morning was just a lie. Great acting, Katie." Freddy said sarcastically.  
  
"I wasn't acting! Look if you could just listen---"  
  
"I almost fell for your drama." Freddy said coldly.  
  
"Freddy, please! He was following me and. . .and I---"  
  
"Wait til the band hears about this!" Michelle said triumphantly.  
  
"You know what, Katie? You're a big fat liar. That's what you are!" Freddy said angrily.  
  
"Argh! The problem with you, Frederick, is that you don't know how to listen! You always jump into conclusions without knowing whether you're right or not!" Katie responded.  
  
"Well isn't this enough proof?" Freddy pointed his index finger sharply at Michael.  
  
"Look Katie, the fact is you lied to us. Not just once but twice. End of story. The band will eventually hear about this and I bet it's not going to be pretty. Don't bother coming to band practice tomorrow 'cause surely Dewey will find you a replacement. C'mon, Freddy." Michelle hooked her arm to Freddy's and walked away. Freddy felt his eyes still heat up in anger.  
  
Katie stared coldly at the fading images of Freddy and Michelle as they sunk in between the crowd of busy people walking along the sidewalk. She always hated it when Freddy refuses to listen.  
  
"So. . .can we talk now?" Michael said.  
  
Again, Katie kicked him on the knee, leaving him scowling in pain along the sidewalk.  
  
Katie felt tears fill up her eyes as Freddy's voice shouting, "You're a big fat liar" echoed in her head. Even if she knows that Freddy is a nice person, she always disliked his insensitivity and his being reproachful. Freddy has never said something seriously hurtful to her not until the argument they just had. Katie felt crushed.  
  
End of Chapter 10  
  
~ Please review! Thanks so much! 


	11. Dazed and Confused

~ I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Chapter 11: Dazed and Confused  
  
"Okay. . .what's with all the balloons?" Katie said looking confused as she entered the room. The apartment was fully decorated with balloons and confetti.  
  
"What do you mean what's with all the balloons? Don't tell me you forgot." Summer said jumping off the chair she has been standing on while putting more ribbons on the ceiling.  
  
"Forgot what?" Katie said as she threw her backpack on the sofa, sitting beside it.  
  
"Katie! Hello? It's Freddy and Michelle's birthday today!" Eleni said.  
  
"Oh shoot. . ." Katie uttered.  
  
"That tells me that you completely forgot about it." Alicia said.  
  
"Speaking of Freddy and Michelle. Where are they?" Tomika said, as she tasted the icing on the cake with her finger.  
  
"Planning for a dramatic entrance." Katie said sharply.  
  
"Katie, stop being so mean." Marta said.  
  
"Mean? I'm not being mean!" Katie answered back.  
  
"Just forget about what happened two days ago alright?" Summer said, handing Leonard a purple balloon.  
  
"You believed them, didn't you?" Katie said calming down a bit.  
  
"I didn't!" the girls said in unison.  
  
"Michelle is getting so annoying! As if Freddy likes her!" Marta said.  
  
"Well doesn't he?" Katie asked.  
  
"I think not." Lawrence said. "Besides, he seems to like you."  
  
"Dude, you are so busted when Freddy finds out what you just said!" Dewey said childishly to Lawrence.  
  
"And the fact that you forgot about Freddy's birthday, it'll break his heart." Zack told Katie calmly.  
  
"Heart? He doesn't have a heart!" Katie said irritably.  
  
Soon two people emerged from the door. It was Freddy and Michelle.  
  
"Hey guys!" Michelle said cheerfully. Freddy on the other hand didn't look cheerful at all though he still tried hard to act "normal".  
  
Everyone except Katie, broke into song singing a very lively Happy Birthday accompanied by Zack's electric guitar and Lawrence's keyboard in the background.  
  
"Guys thank you so much!" Michelle said sincerely as the song ended. "This is a very special day for us. Not only are the both of us turning 13 today, but also we get to celebrate our birthday on the same date. Sweet isn't it?" Katie rolled her eyes upon hearing this.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Now can we please eat already I'm starving!" Frankie said enthusiastically.  
  
Everyone, again except for Katie and surprisingly Freddy, raced their way towards the small buffet table by the kitchen and started filling up their plates with food. Katie caught Freddy's eye and both quickly turned away.  
  
"Here you go, Freddy." Michelle gave Freddy his plate full of pasta. "Let's sit over here."  
  
"Ugh. She's making me sick." Alicia sat next to Katie on the sofa, watching Michelle trying to impress Freddy.  
  
"She's flirting with him obviously." Eleni said, giving Katie a plate of fried chicken and French fries.  
  
"And Freddy is liking it." Katie said, chewing fiercely on a piece of French fries.  
  
"Don't worry, Katie. Michelle is not his type." Zack said after taking a gulp from his glass of coke.  
  
"As if I'm worried, Zachary." Katie said coldly.  
  
"Well aren't you?" Zack asked.  
  
Katie remained silent as she stared on the chicken lying untouched on her plate, trying hard to control herself from bursting into anger. Or then again, maybe jealousy.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
"Everyone, we have a song!" Dewey said proudly, beaming at everyone.  
  
"Great! What is it?" Marta asked looking excited.  
  
"Well, I found this paper crumpled on the floor last night." Dewey held up a wrinkled piece of paper. "I was about to throw it away but something told me to open it up so I did. Then something was written on it and I realized that it was a song maybe one of you wrote. I read the lyrics and I like it. And I believe that this song would show who we really are during the Finals, it will definitely blow people's minds up so---"  
  
"Can you please get straight to the point now?" Summer said.  
  
"Okay. It's a love song. But we're not making it a ballad. We'll do it as head bangin' and as hardcore as possible."  
  
"Who wrote it?" Zack asked.  
  
Dewey caught Freddy's cold stare, turned away and said, "I dunno. There was no name written on it."  
  
"Well give it to me I'll try to figure out the handwriting." Katie said, her arm stretched, reaching for the paper.  
  
"It's actually typewritten so no chance at all, Katie. But anyway, it doesn't matter. What's important is we should learn the song right now! C'mon! Rock n' roll positions you guys!"  
  
Dewey and Zack were trying to compose the right tune and rhythm for the song. Freddy sat next to Lawrence on the small couch by the window, flipping his drumsticks carelessly between his fingers. Summer sat by the drums, reading the lyrics to Katie out loud.  
  
"Your almond eyes stun me, that's when you look at me. Your blood-red lips so beautiful, I wanna taste and kiss." Summer read. "Whoever wrote this is madly in love." She added, handing the paper to Katie. Freddy stared at Katie, not paying attention to what Lawrence was telling him. Freddy's favorite hobby: eavesdropping.  
  
"Yeah." Katie said, reading the lyrics to herself. "But who the heck is madly in love?"  
  
"I don't know. It can be anyone. Zack maybe. Or Freddy." Summer said in a teasing undertone.  
  
"Yeah right." Katie said coldly. Freddy raised an eyebrow. "But honestly the lyrics . . .is really sweet." Katie added. Freddy smiled to himself.  
  
"Oh my god!" Billy squealed. "Guys, listen to this! Michael's on the radio!" Billy turned up the volume of his radio to maximum level so that everyone could hear. "Damn it, Dewey! Stop that for a sec!"  
  
Everyone tried to listen carefully. Freddy yawned sleepily as the voice of the DJ came up.  
  
Radio:  
  
DJ: So tell us more about yourself.  
  
Michael: Well, I'm 13 years old. I'm the drummer for the band called Smoke. We'll be competing for the Summberblast Battle of the Bands Finals on August 6. Hope you guys could watch.  
  
DJ: Okay. So what are you going to do for us today?  
  
Michael: I'm going to sing a song with my guitar.  
  
DJ: You play the guitar too?  
  
Michael: Yeah. I also play bass and a bit of keyboard.  
  
"Okay so what the hell-----"  
  
"SHHH!!!" The girls (minus Michelle and Katie) interrupted Dewey mid- sentence. Dewey opened his mouth to argue but made no sound.  
  
"What's the big deal?" Zack said.  
  
"Shut up Zack!" Alicia said sharply.  
  
Radio:  
  
DJ: Okay so what are you going to sing for us?  
  
Michael: Um, it's called "Your Song" by the Elton John. I'll do an acoustic version of it.  
  
DJ: Alright. To all listeners, sit back, relax and enjoy the music of this very talented young man. Give it up for Michael Ashmore.  
  
Michael: Um, by the way this song goes out to. . .someone. This girl I know. Her name is Katherine Jane Brown.  
  
"Oh my god!" Summer screamed.  
  
"See? I told you she's still connected with that evil guy. You should've gotten rid of her, Dewey!" Michelle said assertively.  
  
Katie froze. She felt her heartbeat pace up really fast. Freddy's mouth fell open in shock.  
  
"That's really sweet!" Eleni said. "But I still hate what he did to us." She added quickly, noticing Zack's harmful stare.  
  
Katie listened as Michael sang. 'Why is he doing this? I don't understand.' she told herself. But admittedly, she thought it was sweet. No one has ever done that for her before. She expected someone else to do such, someone like Freddy maybe but of all the people it was Michael. The person she hated so much, the person who lied to her. Katie was getting confused. She used to like Michael a lot but after what happened during eliminations, things changed. But why is Michael doing this? Katie thought that maybe Michael likes her. But why her? Why now? Now that she no longer has a crush on him, Michael comes running after her. Now that she's starting to like Freddy, Michael is trying to make an impression.  
  
Katie felt a sudden chill down her spine as she listened to Michael's annoyingly gorgeous voice. She didn't want to think of liking him again but it seemed hard to avoid. The words of the song are like swallowing her whole into Michael's world. 'No! No! I'm not falling for this!' she said jumpily to herself, her dreamy eyes suddenly shifting to a look of panic. 'This is just another one of his dirty tricks. And I'm not falling for it.'  
  
"If I was a sculptor, but then again, no  
  
Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show  
  
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do  
  
My gift is my song and this one's for you"  
  
Michael sang those lines with full emotion. And in away Katie sort of felt it. Katie's look of panic again shifted to a look of wonder and admiration as she listened. 'Damn it Michael.' she told herself. She felt weak; Michael's voice seemed more powerful than a face melter.  
  
Alicia and Marta sighed as Michael sang the chorus. Zack had his eyebrows furrowed at the reaction of the girls, most particularly Eleni who had this weird smile on her face. Dewey yawned, looking around drowsily at everyone. Freddy had a sharp look on his eyes as he stared at the floor, clutching his drumsticks harder than ever.  
  
"And you can tell everybody this is your song  
  
It may be quite simple but now that it's done  
  
I hope you don't mind  
  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
  
How wonderful life is while you're in the world  
  
I hope you don't mind  
  
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words  
  
How wonderful life is while-----"  
  
"Freddy!" Summer, Alicia, Marta, Tomika and Billy shrieked in unison. Freddy just hit the off button on Billy's radio.  
  
"We were listening to that one!" Tomika said.  
  
"His voice is so. . .melting!" Marta said.  
  
"Look, we're supposed to be rehearsing! And not listening to some fat, gay loser singing some crap old love song!" Freddy said angrily.  
  
"Elton John is so not crap!" Alicia retorted.  
  
"You've been struck by jealousy again, have you?" Katie said, raising an eyebrow at Freddy.  
  
"Yeah right." Freddy said cynically.  
  
"Then quit calling him names!" Katie said.  
  
"Great. You're defending him. I knew you lied to us."  
  
"You know what, as much as I want to argue with you I can't. 'Cause you wouldn't listen anyway. So why bother telling my side of the story. You're good ole Frederick Alan Jones right? You're Mr. Egocentric. You don't care about other people's feelings!"  
  
"Of course I care! Now you're the one who's jumping to conclusions!"  
  
"If you care then you shouldn't have turned that radio off and let us listen more to the song."  
  
"Oh so you liked that little serenade he did for you huh?"  
  
"Why? Does it matter to you if I did?"  
  
"No! Why would it matter? I don't care."  
  
The band watched as Katie and Freddy argued heatedly. Summer rolled her eyes hopelessly.  
  
"Oh yeah I forgot! Besides yourself all you care about is Michelle!" Katie said.  
  
"What is it to you if I care about her?"  
  
"So you do!"  
  
"Of course! She's my girlfriend!"  
  
Katie raised her eyebrows in shock. The others seemed surprised too.  
  
"I. . .I am?" Michelle said excitedly.  
  
"Yeah. I mean. . ." Freddy paused, having a what-the-heck-did-I-just-say look on his face. "I mean, yeah you are!"  
  
"Great! You two have fun!" Katie said sarcastically, storming out of the room.  
  
That's how confused Katie felt. She felt that she liked Michael again but at the same time she felt jealous of what Freddy said about Michelle being his girlfriend. She really couldn't tell whom she liked now though Freddy was still on top. Katie wanted to forget about Michael, trying to remember the lies and hypocrisy he showed. But the song kept swimming around her head, the sweet melody ringing her ears. She thought that maybe Michael would have a chance. Maybe.  
  
End of Chapter 11  
  
~ Sorry if it's too long. Please review. Thanks so much!  
  
I did not write "Your Song". It was written by Bernie Taupin and performed by Elton John. 


	12. Seeing Through

I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Chapter 12: Seeing Through  
  
It was a hot and exhausting Sunday afternoon. It was probably the only day of the week where the band got their rest. There were only 5 days left before Finals and they barely finished their song. Katie lay down on her bed staring blankly on the purple ceiling of her room while "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs played on her CD player. She never seemed to run out of things to think about. Last week she was thinking of a way to explain to the band about what happened during eliminations and now, she was thinking about Michael and Freddy. She found herself sleepless just last night, deep in thought. At a young age, she really does have a lot of worries.  
  
"Honey! Someone's at the door looking for you!" Mrs. Brown's hard knocks on the door managed to overlap with the loud music coming from Katie's player, thus making it audible enough to hear.  
  
Katie quickly stood up, thinking that it was Michael. But then shook her head in hesitation. 'Damn it, Katie, why are you thinking of him?' she whispered to herself. She quickly put on a Clash t-shirt, tied her hair up in a ponytail and went out of the room.  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Katie held the doorknob tight, took a deep breath and finally opened the door. She found herself standing in front of a gloomy looking, spiky haired dude.  
  
"Hey." Freddy said awkwardly.  
  
"Hey." Katie answered in the same manner. "Um, why didn't you come in?"  
  
"I told your mom that I'd wait for you here." Freddy said.  
  
"Oh."  
  
Both fell silent for a while. Freddy felt unusually nervous. He was never like this before in front of Katie.  
  
"So. . .where's Michelle?" Katie said, ending it with a sarcastic smile.  
  
"If you're still thinking about what I said---"  
  
"Excuse me. I wasn't thinking about that at all. If you think I'm worried, you're wrong." Katie said trying to sound truthful.  
  
"Look, I think we should talk." Freddy said calmly.  
  
"About what?" Katie asked coldly.  
  
"About lots of things." Freddy said.  
  
"I dunno." Katie said seriously.  
  
"Maybe we should like. . .grab an ice cream or. . .stroll down the park or something."  
  
"A date?" Katie said uncertainly.  
  
"No. Maybe. I mean no. . .not a date. . .just hang out." Freddy stammered. Katie raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm not sure." Katie said.  
  
"Please?" Freddy said sincerely. For the first time in days, Katie saw a look of sincerity in Freddy's eyes. She always knew when Freddy was honest or not and that time she could perfectly tell that he was indeed truthful.  
  
"Fine. I'll go get my backpack."  
  
Katie left the door and ran up the stairs to her room, leaving a grinning Freddy outside.  
  
-------------------------------------  
  
PARK  
  
"So. . .what now?" Katie said, taking a small bite from her corndog. The two sat on the bench in front of the playground.  
  
"I just want to. . ." Freddy paused, not quite sure of what to say. Katie stared at him, waiting for him to finish.  
  
"I just want to say sorry for a lot of things." Freddy said calmly. "I mean, I accused you for helping HIM with spying on us, I called you a liar without knowing the real story. It's just that. . .you know how it is when it comes to Michael."  
  
"How's what?" Katie asked.  
  
"How i. . .feel when you're. . .with him." Freddy said awkwardly. "And another thing is that. . .Michelle isn't my girlfriend."  
  
"She's not?" Katie said a bit surprised.  
  
"No. I was so annoyed with you yesterday that I didn't know what I was saying and I was thinking that maybe. . .you would. . .get jealous if I said that so. . ."  
  
"You thought I'd get jealous?" Katie said, raising an eyebrow. "Well. . .it kinda worked."  
  
"What?" Freddy said unbelievingly.  
  
"Nothing." Katie replied quickly.  
  
Both fell hushed for a while. But soon, Freddy broke the silence.  
  
"If there's anything I could do to make it up to you. I'll do anything." Freddy said desperately.  
  
"Well. . .you can stop. . . getting jealous of Michael. I mean, there's really nothing to get jealous about." Katie said.  
  
"Aren't you two seeing each other?" Freddy said in a jealous undertone.  
  
"No. For some reason, he has been showing up to me even after what he did. Don't get me wrong. I definitely hated him after lying to us. I dunno. He's like following me. He even helped me out with some street bullies, once."  
  
"So that night after band practice when I saw you with him, you weren't---"  
  
"I was telling him to leave me alone and to get lost." Katie said. "I even kicked him twice on the knee." She added wittily. Freddy smiled.  
  
"I feel guilty." Freddy said.  
  
"I'm glad you are. After what said to me!" Katie pouted.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Freddy said in a jumpy tone.  
  
"Okay, okay! I know!" Katie said, beaming charmingly at Freddy. "I forgive you. Just promise me that you'll no longer get jealous of Michael, and that you'll learn how to listen and be more sensitive."  
  
"Promise." Freddy smiled. They did a handshake they invented a couple of years ago. It was sort of the band's official handshake.  
  
"We should treat each other like this from now on. You know, without arguing and fighting and annoying each other all the time. " Katie said.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so." Freddy said. "But maybe I can pester to you to a certain extent. 'Cause I'm gonna miss doing that."  
  
"Yeah. Me too." Katie smiled. Freddy blushed. She has a wonderful smile, he thought.  
  
"Oh before I forget. . .I have something for you." Katie reached for something inside her backpack. She handed Freddy a photo album.  
  
"What's this?" Freddy said, holding the photo album.  
  
"It's my birthday present for you. Honestly I forgot about your birthday yesterday. I managed to work on that one last night so. . ."  
  
Freddy untied the ribbon wrapped around it and gently he opened the album.  
  
At the very first page Freddy saw a few pictures of him and Katie during first grade. He scanned the following pages, smiling as he found several pictures of him with Katie during second, third grade and so on. At the middle part there was a huge collage of pictures of the band during gigs, parties and rehearsals. Freddy grinned.  
  
"I'm a bit broke so. . .I thought maybe I should just give you something I made myself." Katie said uneasily.  
  
"This is the best present ever! I never knew you had this much pictures of us." Freddy said, amazed.  
  
"Well yeah. . .I do. Weird. 'Cause most of the pictures I found were both of us together." Katie said.  
  
"What's weird about that? You should be thankful. Not many girls had the chance to pose with a good looking guy like me." Freddy boasted playfully.  
  
"In your dreams, Jones." Katie said.  
  
"Hey I remember this one!" Freddy said his eyes on a picture on the upper left part of the page. "Zack's birthday party. 8 years old. You cried 'cause I popped your balloon!" Freddy added teasingly, chuckling a bit.  
  
"Even as a kid you have always been a pain." Katie said.  
  
Both fell silent once again. Freddy turned the pages of the album, grinning at every picture he sees. Katie ate her corndog quietly. She was never really serious around Freddy since all these years they've been in somewhat like a cat and dog relationship. She felt a bit awkward but at the same time glad because finally Freddy and she are starting to see through each other.  
  
"Hey. . .you have mustard on your lip." Freddy reached inside his pocket for a hanky and attempted to wipe the mustard off Katie's mouth but she jumpily snatched the hanky from Freddy's hold.  
  
"Um, I. . .I'll do it."  
  
Katie was quite shocked for what Freddy tried to do but still she blushed. She quietly wiped her lips, smiling to herself. His hanky smelled good.  
  
"Oh sorry. . .I got your hanky all blotched up." Katie said embarrassedly.  
  
"No it's okay." Freddy got the hanky and placed in inside his pocket.  
  
"Shoot." Katie said looking at her watch. "I really need to go home. I promised mom that I'd help her do the laundry." She stood up swinging her backpack over her shoulder.  
  
"I'll walk you home." Freddy said.  
  
"Are you sure? I mean. . .you might have something to do or anything. . ."  
  
"No! I don't." Freddy beamed. "Shall we go now then?"  
  
The two left the park, both in a good mood.  
  
-----------------------------------  
  
"Mom! I'm home!" Katie shouted as she entered the living room.  
  
"Oh hi dear. Would you please bring this at the back yard?" Mrs. Brown handed Katie a bin full of dirty laundry and quickly climbed up the stairs. She suddenly halted, remembering something. "And Katie, someone sent you something. It's on the table."  
  
Katie, looking puzzled, approached the living room center table. A box wrapped with brown paper was lying there.  
  
"From Sid Lydon? What the heck?" Katie said, examining the address and name of the sender. She ripped off the wrapper forcefully, opened the box and saw a videotape.  
  
"The Filth and the Fury? Cool! The Sex Pistols documentary." Katie said excitedly. "But who's Sid Lydon?"  
  
End of Chapter 12  
  
~ Please tell me what you think! Thanks! I really appreciate the kind reviews.  
  
Note: I do not own either of the following:  
  
"Maps" is a song by Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their album Fever to Tell.  
  
The Filth and the Fury is a Sex Pistols movie directed by Julien Temple. 


	13. Roses and Tapes

I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Hey. . .everyone! Thanks for your reviews. I really appreciate it. ('',)  
  
Chapter 13: Roses and Tapes  
  
"Again! From the top!" Summer said, standing in front of the band, arms crossed. It was a Tuesday morning and Dewey went out for a while and as band manager, it was Summer's duty to take over and see to it that the band rehearsed.  
  
"Oh c'mon, Summer! I just missed one chord!" Zack complained.  
  
"I said no mistakes! From the top." Summer said bossily.  
  
"Dewey was never strict to us!" Katie said.  
  
"Look, I'm band manager. As long as Dewey's not yet here, I'm the person in charge. Okay? Now do as I say. From the top."  
  
Zack rolled his eyes and sourly, they started all over again from the top. This time they got it all right. It was quite surprising since it was only yesterday they learned the song. They sounded as if they've been playing it for years.  
  
"That's more like it!" Summer smiled. "Okay. I'll give you a. . .10 minute break."  
  
"10 minutes only? We've been playing our ass off here for 4 straight hours!" Freddy protested.  
  
"Fine. Make it 15. No more extensions!" Summer said, pointing her index finger firmly to Freddy.  
  
Freddy rolled his eyes and walked towards the kitchen, opening the fridge looking for something to eat.  
  
"You were great, Zack." Eleni said proudly as Zack sat next to her on the sofa.  
  
"Oh. . .ah. . .Thanks." Zack blushed. Katie stared at Zack warily.  
  
"Am I missing anything here?" Katie asked.  
  
"What? Er. . .no. No." Zack blushed even more. Katie grinned.  
  
The doorbell rang and Billy rushed to the door. He quickly came back, carrying a bouquet of roses.  
  
"For you." Billy handed the bouquet to Katie. Katie looked puzzled.  
  
"Here's the card. It's from Michael." Billy said giving the card to Katie. Katie opened the card to read its contents but before she could even start Summer snatched the card from her.  
  
"Dear, Katie." Summer read aloud. "Hope this reaches you on time. I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Sincerely, Michael."  
  
"Give me that!" Katie grabbed the card from Summer. Aside from the unexpected flower delivery sent to her by Michael, the fact that Freddy was there, hearing the contents of the card as read aloud by Summer, made her feel panicky. Katie seemed to be more concerned about how Freddy would react.  
  
"First the over-the-radio-serenade. Now this. He's in love with you." Marta said.  
  
"He's a stalker. He's obviously stalking, Katie." Freddy said decisively. Katie was surprised not hearing an irritable, sarcastic answer from Freddy. It seemed that Freddy was true to his word about his promise.  
  
"As if you're not!." Zack teased. Freddy threw a pillow at Zack, which landed straight on his face. Alicia and Tomika giggled while Freddy slouched on his seat, blushing.  
  
"Hey guys, what's up?!" Dewey just came in. He looked hyped up.  
  
"I gave them a 15 minute break. Which will end in about 5 minutes." Summer said.  
  
"So what happened?" Zack asked eagerly.  
  
"Well. . .I went to the meeting. All front men were present. And we'll be performing fifth this Saturday." Dewey said by the kitchen, opening a can of root beer.  
  
"Alright. Not bad." Alicia said.  
  
"Competition starts at 5:00. Be here an hour earlier. If we win first place we'll be receiving $20,000 in cash." Dewey said casually, emphasizing the word 'cash'. "Plus, Friday night gigs in Hard Rock Café."  
  
"Sweet!" Freddy and Zack said. Katie smiled delightfully.  
  
"The competition will be televised so. . .we should really make a good performance 'cause surely we don't want to be humiliated in front of millions of people. Anymore questions? Good. Let's rock!"  
  
The band took their positions and jammed all day long. Everyone was really enjoying the music and was really determined to win finals.  
  
-------------------------  
  
"Katie did you bring my Yeah Yeah Yeahs CD?" Summer said, approaching Katie who was putting her bass inside the leather guitar case. After hours of tiring but enjoyable rehearsals, Dewey finally dismissed everyone.  
  
"Oh. . .wait. . .I'll try to find it. . ." Katie emptied her backpack (which was filled with a lot of unnecessary but interesting things), the contents of it, now all scattered on the center table by the living room.  
  
"What's that?" Summer pointed at the video tape which was among the scattered objects.  
  
"Nothing. Just don't mind it." Katie said, still trying to look for Summer's CD.  
  
"I can't believe you forgot to bring it! My cousin is so going to kill me!" Summer ranted.  
  
"Katie! Honey! Are you all set? Let's go now." Mrs. Brown stood by the door, smiling at her daughter.  
  
"Mom! You're here early. Ah . . .let me fix my stuff first!" Katie hastily placed her things inside her backpack, zipped up her guitar case and rushed towards the door to her mom.  
  
"Katie wait!" Summer said, running outside the room trying to catch up with her friend.  
  
"I'll go on ahead, dude. See ya!" Zack punched Freddy playfully on the arm and left with Eleni, who was waiting for him by the door.  
  
Freddy swung his backpack over his shoulder, but before he could turn to the door and leave, he found himself staring at something on the center table.  
  
"Cool!" Freddy said as he held the Filth and the Fury tape on his hand, looking at it with great amazement. "Dude! Can I borrow this?" he waved the tape at Dewey.  
  
"Whatever. Take it." Dewey said carelessly, as he continued talking to someone on the phone.  
  
Freddy grinned, and hurriedly he left the apartment.  
  
--------------------------  
  
Katie lay down on her bed, feeling exhausted and drowsy. It was indeed one of the most tiring days of band rehearsals. She hasn't seen Michael for two days and she has wanted to talk to him. Whenever she thought of Michael nowadays, she felt different. A sudden chill rushes down her spine and her heart beats in an unusual kind of way. She bit her lip as she stared on the smooth ceiling. 'Damn. . .this shouldn't be happening. I tried to avoid it.' she told herself. She closed her eyes, drowning in deep thought until. . .  
  
RRRIIINNNG!!!  
  
Katie jumped up in shock as the phone rang. She rolled her eyes in annoyance and answered.  
  
"Hello?" Katie said.  
  
"Katie! I need the CD tomorrow pronto! Got it? Bye. See you tomorrow."  
  
Katie hung up the phone irritably at the thought of Summer. 'I was having a good daydream' she told herself as she got Summer's CD on top of her study table. She opened up her backpack, but before stuffing the CD inside it, a look of alarm was drawn all over her face.  
  
"Oh shit!"  
  
The video tape wasn't there.  
  
-----------------------------  
  
Freddy sat back relaxingly on the sofa in his room with a bowl of popcorn on his lap as he finally pressed the play button on the remote control of his VCR. Sex Pistols was his favorite band of all time and he has been dying to see the Filth and the Fury for ages. He munched popcorn happily as he waited for something to show on the TV screen. He got a bit impatient and just as he was about to hit the fast forward button, his mouth fell open at what came up the screen.  
  
"Hey Katie, erm. . .yeah. . .It's me." Michael was smiling nervously at the camera.  
  
---------------------------  
  
"Summer, you saw the tape right? Didn't you notice me putting it inside my bag? How can it be gone? Of all the things to lose, why does it have to be that one!" Katie ranted over the phone.  
  
"Why are you so panicky? It's just a video tape. You probably left it in the apartment. Call Dewey. He might have seen it." Summer said casually.  
  
"I already called but no one's answering the goddamn phone!" Katie said angrily.  
  
"Katie, chill out alright? What's the big deal? I mean, is there something in that video tape so. . .confidential?"  
  
"Yes." Katie said more calmly now.  
  
"Look, it's going to be alright. Let's talk about this tomorrow. Don't bug yourself thinking about it. Goodnight." Summer hung up.  
  
Katie lay down on her bed hopelessly, covering her face with a pillow. 'If someone has it right now, please let it be not Freddy,'  
  
-------------------  
  
"Well. . .you might have thought that it's really the Filth and the Fury in the tape but. . .you got it all wrong obviously." Freddy so wanted to hit the stop button on the remote control not only because of annoyance but also because he felt that he was invading Katie's privacy. But at the same time he wanted to see and hear what Michael has to say. He chose the latter of course.  
  
"Um, it's really hard talking to a camera, trying to imagine that it's you but I think that this is the only way I could talk to you. . .with you listening to what I have to say. I don't want to end up getting kicked on the knee again so. . .this is my only option." Michael smiled. Freddy scowled.  
  
"I want to say sorry. Okay, I know that I lied to you and your band and I have said a lot of cruel things to you. But after that, I had this weird feeling. Especially when I pass by the grocery store. It wasn't normal. Then I realized that there was something missing and I knew that it was you although I tried to deny it a lot of times. It's quite hard dealing with it knowing that I have done something terrible. So luckily I saw you, almost getting attacked by two wackos and I saved you but you slapped me on the face in return. It's alright I mean, I understood what that meant. You completely hate me. And I'm not going to argue with that. But please, if you could give me another chance."  
  
Freddy rolled his eyes and for the second time he attempted to stop the video but he had this urge to hear more of Michael's speech.  
  
"Just want to let you know that I already quit the band. I'm moving to London this Saturday. I'm not sure if I can still come to watch the Finals but I wish you good luck and if ever I come, I'll be cheering for you guys. Honestly! And that's why before I leave I was wondering if we could talk. . .in person. Same place? I still have a lot of things to say to you. Have you heard me over the radio? You have no idea how embarrassing that was." Michael smiled. "But I thought it was one of the good ways of. . .getting back to you. So, whether you liked it or not, I'm still happy for singing that song for you. And. . .again I'm so sorry for everything. I hope you could forgive me. Or if not, it's alright. If you're still angry it's fine with me just please let me talk to you in person. You can beat the hell out of me if you want to, just please try and come see me. I want to see you. Badly. I miss talking to you. And most especially I miss you. So please----- -"  
  
Freddy irritably pushed the stop button, stuffing the video tape in its case and threw it harshly inside his bag. 'Great. Just great' he told himself. How he wished that he didn't watch the tape instead.  
  
End of Chapter 13  
  
Please Review. Thank you so much! 


	14. Varied Sentiments

I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Chapter 14: Varied Sentiments  
  
Katie has been searching for the video tape in Dewey's apartment in a sneaky kind of way all morning. She doesn't want to draw much attention from her band mates by looking all worried and freaked out. Katie reached out her hand under the sofa, hoping that she would be able to feel a solid, rectangular object.  
  
"Katie, what are you doing?" Dewey said, with a look of contemplation on his face. Katie hurriedly pulled her arm from under the sofa with great difficulty.  
  
"Um, nothing. Nothing. I was just. . .feeling the. . .um. . .ah." Katie stammered.  
  
"Okay. . .whatever. Go to your position, we'll start rehearsing in 5 minutes." Dewey ordered. Katie quickly stood up and went to her usual band position.  
  
"Did you find it?" Summer approached Katie, speaking secretively.  
  
"No." Katie said. "How about you?"  
  
"It wasn't in the bathroom." Summer answered.  
  
"You looked for it in the bathroom? Summer, of all the places why did you assume that it was there?" Katie raised her voice slightly.  
  
"Well, it's better to make sure."  
  
"I can't believe you wasted your time looking for it in the bath-------" Katie suddenly caught Freddy's eye, who quickly turned away. She paused for a while, her eyes still on Freddy.  
  
"Summer, let's just talk later." Katie whispered.  
  
"Fine." Summer walked away from Katie and sat on the couch by the window.  
  
"Alright, all instruments tuned up? Good. Let's kick it from the top. 1,2,3,4. . ."  
  
The band played their song really good this time. In two days time, they have managed to learn and memorize the dynamics of the song. However, in some part of the song, Dewey noticed that the drums were a little too sloppy. Freddy has looked very aloof all morning.  
  
"Very good, you guys. Bravo." Dewey said as they finished the song. "Freddy, dude, are you alright? What happened to the gut bustin', powerhouse drumming?"  
  
"Sorry. . .I was just. . ." Freddy answered faintly, without even finishing his sentence.  
  
"That's alright, dude. Let's do it again. 1,2,3 and---"  
  
The band started with the song again. It went well...except for a certain part in the second stanza where all of a sudden, Freddy's mind went blank making him forget his part. Zack had a what-the-hell-are-you-doing look on his face as he stared at his unfocused friend. Unexpectedly, Freddy threw his drumsticks irritably on the floor in the middle of the song.  
  
"Freddy, what's up with you man?" Dewey said worriedly. Katie looked uneasy as well.  
  
"Nothing. I'm sorry. It's just. . .can I go to the bathroom?" Freddy said quickly and without waiting for Dewey's response, he stood up and hurriedly went to the bathroom.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Dewey asked once more.  
  
"I don't know, dude." Zack said.  
  
------------------------------  
  
"Billy, answer the door for me will you? That must be the pizza guy." Dewey reached into his pocket and gave Billy a couple of bills. Billy ran to the door and came back with three boxes of pepperoni pizza.  
  
"Finally! I'm starving. . ." Alicia opened the box and got herself a slice before anyone else could. Everyone else followed except for Freddy.  
  
"Here, Zack." Eleni gave him a slice, holding it with a napkin.  
  
"Thanks." Zack blushed as he took a bite off it.  
  
"So are you two like, dating or something?" Dewey said with his mouth full.  
  
"No." Zack and Eleni said quickly at the same time.  
  
"Oh come on! How do you explain the dreamy stares and the sweet talks?" Summer teased.  
  
"Shut up." Zack muttered.  
  
"Freddy, take this last piece. . ." Katie handed the very last slice to Freddy but he made no response whatsoever. "Aren't you hungry?" Katie added skeptically.  
  
"No." Freddy said coldly.  
  
"Yeah right. Since when did you not feel starved?" Katie said jokingly. "C'mon just---"  
  
"I'm not hungry, Katie!" Freddy snapped. He left Katie's side and went to his drum set. Quite surprised, everyone fell silent as they watched Freddy sulk by the stool behind the drums.  
  
"He's been acting really weird." Marta said in almost a whisper.  
  
"Did you two fight again?" Dewey told Katie.  
  
"No. We haven't fought ever since that day at the park." Katie said casually.  
  
"What day at the park?" Summer said, staring at her friend with full interest.  
  
"Oh. . .um. . ." Katie has never told anyone about it and wasn't even planning to do so. But unfortunately, her tongue slipped.  
  
"Ah. . .nothing." Katie lied.  
  
"There's nothing to hide, Katie!" Eleni said. "C'mon, you can tell us."  
  
"I'm not hiding anything!" Katie argued.  
  
"You guys went out?" Dewey said. "Now that's interesting . . ."  
  
"Whatever!" Katie stood up, walking over to her bass. In a spilt second, she caught Freddy's eye but he quickly turned away again. Katie tuned up her bass quietly, looking at Freddy at the corner of her eye.  
  
----------------------------  
  
It was 5:00 pm when band practice ended. Katie was still worried about Freddy's actions and was thinking of talking to him in private. She knew there was something wrong with him and she was quite desperate to know what it was. Ever since the conversation they had at the park, Katie wanted to be a "real" friend to Freddy. It's not that she wasn't "real" before; she just wanted to take the opportunity, now that the both of them no longer argue and have vowed to stay nice to each other, to do what a real friend would do in times like this and that was to comfort and console.  
  
Katie walked awkwardly towards Freddy who was busily disassembling his drum set. When she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Michelle smiling faintly at her.  
  
"Hey. . .Katie." Michelle said.  
  
"Hey." Katie said, giving a small smile.  
  
"I saw this in my closet last night." Michelle handed Katie a denim skirt folded up neatly. "I actually didn't know that I haven't returned it to you until last night when I saw it. Sorry for not returning it earlier. I mean, you might have needed it."  
  
"No. It's okay." Katie said. "I don't wear skirts often."  
  
"Oh. . .okay." Michelle said.  
  
"Yeah. So. . .I'll see you then." Katie said, attempting to leave but was held back by Michelle.  
  
"Wait. I'm supposed to tell you something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm so sorry for acting like a major bitch." Michelle sighed. "I accused you so harshly. I didn't even think about your feelings. I'm really sorry."  
  
"It's okay, Michelle. I mean, I admit that you were really being such a bitch but, what the heck. I can't stay angry at you forever now can I?"  
  
"So are we friends?" Michelle said, offering Katie a handshake.  
  
"Friends." Katie said, accepting Michelle's hand. Both girls smiled gladly at each other.  
  
"Well. . .I'll see you tomorrow." Michelle gave Katie a friendly hug and left the room.  
  
Katie felt so much lighter now that Michelle and she are back in good terms. Suddenly, she remembered about Freddy but to her surprise, Freddy was no longer there disassembling. He probably left while she was talking to Michelle. She didn't notice him leave.  
  
"Great." Katie mumbled sarcastically as she left Dewey's apartment.  
  
-----------------------  
  
Katie walked her way to the grocery store thinking about Freddy. She didn't know whether she should look for him, go to his house or just wait until the next day. Freddy's actions really bugged her and she was desperate to know what was going on with him.  
  
Katie reached the store and to her surprise, she saw a guy sitting on the bench in front whom she recognized pretty well. Her heart began to pace up faster as she walked awkwardly towards him.  
  
"Katie." Michael smiled.  
  
"Hey." Katie said awkwardly. She sat down next to him.  
  
"I haven't seen you for a while."  
  
"Yeah. Me too."  
  
Both fell silent. Katie felt as if there was something blocking her throat making her unable to speak.  
  
"So. . .how was band practice?"  
  
"Um, good."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Again, both fell silent. Michael stared at Katie dreamily. He seemed like he could not take his eyes off her.  
  
"Hey. . .are you okay?" Katie said, feeling Michael's gaze.  
  
"What? Oh yeah. I'm. . .I'm okay." Michael said feeling a bit embarrassed.  
  
"So. . .you quit the band." Katie said.  
  
"Yeah. I had to. I didn't want to at first but. . .there's nothing I could do."  
  
"So they're replacing you?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
The awkward feeling they both felt was always reflected through the silence. For the third time, both seemed tongue twisted.  
  
"That's too bad." Katie finally broke the silence. "I mean, you're really a good drummer."  
  
"You think so?"  
  
"Yeah. Not to mention, a good singer too." Katie smiled faintly.  
  
"Oh. So you heard me on the radio."  
  
"Yeah. The entire band and crew did too."  
  
"Oh shoot." Michael said, embarrassed.  
  
"Don't worry. They all thought you were great." Katie grinned. "I never knew you liked Elton John."  
  
"Well. . .I'm not really a fan of his. I just chose that song 'cause it was my mom's favorite. My dad used to sing it to her. Not until he. . .died. And I was thinking maybe I should sing it to someone special too. . ."  
  
Katie was speechless. She never knew Michael could be so sweet.  
  
"Anyway, you didn't have to hear that."  
  
"That was really sweet of you, Michael. Not all guys have the courage to do that."  
  
"Not even Freddy?"  
  
Katie froze. For the second time, she forgot about Freddy.  
  
"Freddy's a different story." Katie said.  
  
"You like him don't you?" Michael asked.  
  
"What does he have to do with all this?"  
  
"Nothing. I just wanted to know." Michael said softly.  
  
"Well I do like him but only as a friend." Katie said positively. "There! I said it. There's nothing else for you to know about."  
  
Michael smiled.  
  
"So um. . .can I ask you something?" Michael said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Since I'll be leaving this Saturday, I was wondering if we could, you know, spend time together. Watch a movie or. . .play video games. . ."  
  
"Oh. . .um" Katie paused for a while trying to think of what to say, then continued "I don't know. You see, Dewey became really strict regarding band rehearsals and I think I can't just skip any practice especially now that we only have 2 days before Finals. I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh okay. We can still meet here anyway. We can still talk and hang out. . ."  
  
"Yeah." Katie said as she checked her watch. "Um, Michael, I really have to go home now. Mom's probably waiting for me."  
  
"Oh. I can walk you home if you like."  
  
"No need. I'll be fine by myself. I'll just see you tomorrow." Katie swung her backpack over her shoulder, carried her guitar case, waved a hand at Michael and crossed the street towards the bus stop.  
  
Michael watched as Katie climbed up the bus. He has never been so awkward around a girl before. Heck, he has never been so crazy for a girl all his life. Michael stared at the tangerine sky, smiling to himself. 'I am so going to miss you, Katie.' he told himself, his mind still filled with endless thoughts of the one and only girl of his dreams.  
  
-------------------------  
  
Katie walked silently as she turned right at the corner of the street where she lived on. She has been thinking about Michael again the whole time. But this time she realized that she only does like him as a friend and nothing more.  
  
'I didn't feel anything when we talked.' She told herself. 'Well. . .it was awkward, yes, but it was only because I remember the tape. What he told me through the tape made me feel awkward around him. Damn it, I don't understand!' she walked more hastily now. 'And we just had a friendly conversation. Nothing romantic. Well, maybe with the exception of his obvious attempt to ask me out. . .' she climbed three steps to the porch of her house and to her surprise someone was sitting on the chair by the veranda.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Katie said jumpily, she felt her heart beat so fast. Freddy was seated on the chair, still with a stiff face.  
  
"Just wanted to return something." Freddy handed Katie the video tape. Katie's heart stopped as she stared alarmingly at the tape she held in her hand. "Great movie." Freddy added as left silently.  
  
Katie stood still, trying to think about what just happened. Freddy had the tape. And by the looks of it, he probably watched it. So that explains his behavior all morning. Katie didn't know what to do. She held the tape with a tight grip, motionless. She tried to see if Freddy hasn't gone far, hoping that maybe she could still ran after him, but sadly he was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Damn it." She whispered as she entered the house, feeling utterly miserable.  
  
End of Chapter 14  
  
Please review! Thank you so much. 


	15. The Finals

I do not own School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.  
  
Chapter 15: The Finals  
  
"Dude, maybe we should just play. . .'Electrify' instead." Freddy told Dewey by the kitchen. It was the day of the Summerblast Battle of the Bands Finals and everyone was busily getting ready.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Dewey said, puzzled. Freddy remained silent. He wasn't so sure how to explain why.  
  
"Dude, your song is our key to win this thing." Dewey said. "We have practiced it hard all week long, we can't just change what we have rehearsed, man. Why? Did someone spy on us again?"  
  
"No. . .it's just. . ." Freddy couldn't seem to finish his statement.  
  
"Look, not only is this our chance to win but it's also your chance to tell her how you feel." Dewey said encouragingly. "And a million people will know about it too."  
  
"I don't know." Freddy said uncertainly.  
  
"Hey, c'mon. Don't get all cold feet at the last minute. Now, get your costume and get dressed." Dewey said after finishing a bowl of macaroni and cheese. Freddy walked away silently.  
  
"C'mon people! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Billy clapped his hands excitedly as everyone dressed up.  
  
"Guys, it's 3:30! We have to leave at 4! So please make it snappy!" Summer said bossily.  
  
"Billy, you know I don't wear skirts." Katie came out of the bathroom wearing a pink, off shoulder Guess Who blouse and a knee-length, black leather skirt.  
  
"You look fab, Katie. So quit complaining and wear these." Billy handed her black stockings and red Japanese-like slippers.  
  
"Maybe I should just wear a kimono." Katie said sarcastically, walking away carrying the stockings and slippers with her.  
  
"15 minutes!" Summer said impatiently.  
  
At 5 minutes before 4:00, everybody was settled and ready to go.  
  
"Let's rock, people!" Dewey shouted and everyone left the room. They boarded the School bus and took off right away.  
  
The bus was in a racket. Everyone was in talks about the competition, except for Freddy who sat alone in the back of the bus. Katie kept on glancing at him, trying to figure out whether she should sit beside him and talk or just stay put. They haven't been talking to each other ever since that tape incident three days ago.  
  
Dewey turned up the volume of the radio when "Love is Only A Feeling" by the Darkness came playing.  
  
"I love that song!" Eleni said excitedly who was sitting beside Zack. Zack grinned.  
  
"Oh the first flush of youth was upon you when our eyes first met. . ." Dewey sang along loudly the first line of the song. "And I knew that to you and into your life I had to get."  
  
"I felt light-headed at the touch of this stranger's hand. . ." Frankie sang along with Dewey, pretending he was holding a microphone. Marta and Tomika giggled. "An assault my defenses systematically failed to withstand."  
  
"'Cause you came at a time, when the pursuit of one true love in which to fall. . ." Eleni sang along too, smiling at Zack. "Was the be all and end all." The three singers joined in.  
  
Katie smiled as almost everybody sang the chorus. She glanced at Freddy who was staring blankly outside the window. Katie's smile suddenly faded into a frown. She has not forgotten about what happened. After hesitating a couple of times, Katie stood up and sat beside Freddy who seemed not to notice her at all.  
  
Still, everyone sang. Katie tried to talk to Freddy but didn't exactly know what to say. After building enough courage, Katie finally spoke.  
  
"Please stop avoiding me." Katie said calmly. Freddy glanced at her then back at the window.  
  
"Love is only a feeling (drifting away)" everyone sang along, including Katie who did not leave Freddy's side. Freddy watched her as she sang.  
  
"When I'm in your arms I start believing (it's here to stay), but love is only a feeling anyway, anyway"  
  
The bus stopped in front of the theatre just as the song ended. Everyone cheered and quickly went out. There were lots of people lining up in front of the ticket booth. Again, they have managed to get through the wild crowd and quickly went to the backstage of theatre 1.  
  
----------------------------  
  
"Welcome guys, get in here!" Prudence greeted them in high spirits. The School of Rock band and crew registered at the front desk.  
  
"Okay. Battle of the Bands will start in 15 minutes. Good Luck guys!" Prudence shook hands with all of them and walked away to welcome 'Pluto's Agony' who has just arrived.  
  
"Alright guys, this is it! Let's show them what we got!" Dewey said. The band and crew cheered.  
  
"Hey Dewey!"  
  
A familiar voice called. Dewey had a sour look on his face when he came face to face with Theo.  
  
"Even if our drummer quit on us I swear we're still going to win this." Theo said arrogantly.  
  
"Bring it on, buddy!" Dewey said tauntingly. Theo smirked and walked away.  
  
Zack and Lawrence took a peek outside the stage and saw lots of people already waiting. There were lots of MTV cameras too.  
  
"Whoa." Zack said with great amazement.  
  
"I never really expected it to be like this." Lawrence said smiling excitedly.  
  
At exactly 5:00, TRL's Vanessa went up the stage making the crowd scream so wildly.  
  
"Hello everyone! I'm Vanessa and I'll be your host for today's show. I bet you guys are excited because this is the day of reckoning for 6 talented hardcore rock bands and they all play hard for one goal: to be this year's Summerblast Battle of the Bands champion." Crowd goes wild, Vanessa continues "Alright! Let's start the rock n' roll fever as we call on our first band, Crude Oil!"  
  
'Crude Oil' went up the stage and performed their song. They got the crowd on their feet. It was indeed a powerhouse performance that made Dewey feel a bit nervous. Next to perform was 'The Antagonists' who did pretty well. Although there was a point where the guitar solo was kind of sloppy, still they sounded good. The crowd gave a roaring welcome to the third band, 'The Flops'. They're style was so unique; Dewey never thought how much of a challenge they would be.  
  
"And that was our third band give another roar for The Flops!" Vanessa said enthusiastically as the crowd gave another cheer for the band.  
  
Meanwhile in backstage, Dewey, the band and crew chilled out with the other bands (except for Smoke of course). Suddenly, a familiar group of guys entered backstage and walked towards the side of the stage.  
  
"Oh my god." Alicia said.  
  
"Is it just me or do I see 'Jet'?" Katie said, trying hard not to freak out.  
  
"I see them too, Katie." Marta said. The girls squealed in excitement.  
  
"No way. 'Jet' is here." Zack said unbelievingly. Freddy was speechless.  
  
"Now, before I call on the next band." Vanessa paused, winked at the camera, and then continued, "We have a very special guest. To perform live here in Marley theatre give it up for Jet!"  
  
The Australian rock band made their way to the stage. The crowd went wilder. Even the people at the backstage were cheering as they crowded in front of the TV.  
  
The band performed their hit single "Cold Hard Bitch" which was currently no.1 across America and the UK. Dewey always enjoyed their music and so did his band. Zack was playing air guitar, his head nodding to the beat of the song. The groupies were jumping and screaming wildly nearby. Leonard and Frankie were dancing goofily. Freddy, who decided not to join the people crowded in front of the TV, was leaning on the wall, doing air drums with his drumsticks. Katie was also nodding her head to the beat of the song but stopped when her eyes landed on Freddy. She blushed as she stared at Freddy's appearance, which she thought was cute.  
  
The crowd cheered as the song ended and the band entered the backstage once again. Almost everyone approached and shook hands with them. Michelle managed to get the frontman's autograph.  
  
"Woohoo! That was indeed pure rock n' roll! Again, I want you to give a loud, loud scream for Jet!" the crowd gave a cheer one last time. Vanessa continued, "Anyway, it's time for our fourth band to take over the stage and rock their hearts out. Give it up people for the first placers during Summerblast Battle of the Bands eliminations, Smoke!"  
  
The crowd, still with full energy, cheered as Smoke came up the stage. Dewey and the others watched closely as Smoke started playing their song.  
  
Surprisingly, they didn't turn out as good as they were during Eliminations. Well, they were only good at eliminations because they stole School of Rock's performance. Their new drummer was not even half as good as Michael nor is he good enough to beat Freddy's drumming skills. Their song had teenybopper lyrics and was so unrock n' roll. The crowd's noise died down as they watched, looking all surprised at Smoke's performance. Soon a couple of boos can be heard.  
  
"Hah! Serves them right!" Summer said triumphantly, watching Smoke on the backstage TV.  
  
"Karma is the word." Katie said elatedly.  
  
"They're not so tough anymore." Zack smirked.  
  
"And that was Smoke! Another round of applause for them, everybody!" Vanessa said but the crowd didn't seem to agree. The 'boos' became louder as the band bitterly exited the stage.  
  
"Hey why the long face? It was alright." Dewey said sarcastically to the band members of Smoke. "Although you completely sounded like a boyband, you don't have to worry about it. It wouldn't hurt you one bit, I swear." Freddy and Zack grinned.  
  
"Hey! Shut up, Dewey!" Theo said angrily. Theo turned to his boys and said, "What the hell were you doing out there? What the heck happened to all of you?"  
  
"Sorry, man." Alan said.  
  
"Sorry? That's it? You've risked your careers! Do you think you're going to be a full time rock band after what you've shown out there?!"  
  
"You know what, I'm sick of this! I'm sick of you, Theo! I'm outta here!" Damon said, walking out of the backstage.  
  
"Damon, wait up man!" Alan and Chester ran after their friend leaving Theo alone.  
  
"What the hell? I made you guys! You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me! After all what I've done for you----"  
  
"Who's all alone, now?" Dewey said provokingly. Theo grabbed Dewey by the collar.  
  
"Hey hands off!" Dewey gripped Theo's hand, making him let go.  
  
"Dewey! We're on next!" Marta called.  
  
"Rock n' Roll." Dewey sneered at Theo. He quickly ran to his band that was already waiting by the side of the stage.  
  
"The next band to perform is one of the best aspiring rock bands out there although their performance during Eliminations wasn't really outstanding, I bet they are now ready to retaliate. Please welcome, the School of Rock!"  
  
The crowd roared as the band went on stage. Everyone was all hyped up.  
  
"Hey! Um, We're the School of Rock. And we are going to play an original song. Music composed by Zack Mooneyham our lead guitarist and yours truly. Lyrics written by our very own, Freddy Jones, the drummer." Dewey paused as the crowd cheered. Katie's heart stopped. She never knew that Freddy wrote the song.  
  
"Freddy wrote the song and he never told us?" Summer said who was at the backstage with the other crewmembers.  
  
"And Freddy wrote this song for someone. This song specially goes out to the lovely Katie Brown our rockin' bassist." Dewey grinned at Katie who was completely surprised. She smiled faintly at Freddy who returned a smile as well.  
  
The crowd got to their feet as the School of Rock started their song. It was 100 percent better than their performance during eliminations. Zack was completely in the zone with his guitar; Dewey's vocals were so amazing he sounded almost like Bon Scott; Katie was smiling from ear to ear, showing full attitude while playing her bass; Lawrence was completely enjoying the song, doing lots of finger techniques with his keyboard; Freddy was completely bustin' out on the drums; the backup singers were on a roll as well. Zack's guitar solo came up which completely brought the house down. At the end of the song Katie performed her first ever bass solo in years. Generally it was an ass kickin', hard rockin' performance which everyone enjoyed.  
  
A wild crowd cheered as the band ended their song. The theatre was all heated up after School of Rock's performance.  
  
"Whoa! That was probably the best performance I have seen in this competition yet!" Vanessa said excitedly. "Everybody make some noise once again for the School of Rock!"  
  
"Oh my god! You guys were great!" Eleni gave Zack a tight hug as they entered backstage.  
  
"That was absolutely mind blowing, you guys!" Summer said proudly.  
  
"I guess you finally got what you wanted eh?" Theo said bitterly to Dewey.  
  
"Yeah." Dewey replied.  
  
"Heh. . .I'll see you." Theo said, walking away.  
  
"You three were stunning out there!" Leonard gave the three singers a hug.  
  
"Man! The lights were great!" Dewey gave Gordon a high five.  
  
"Excuse me, we watched your performance. Honestly, you guys rock." Nic Cester, the vocalist of Jet, approached the band.  
  
"Thanks, man! By the way, I'm Dewey." Dewey shook hands with him.  
  
"I'm Nic. Hope to work with you guys soon." Nic said kindly.  
  
'Pluto's Agony' was now performing on stage. The band was too happy about the outcome of their performance that they didn't pay much attention to what was happening on stage.  
  
"Freddy, why didn't you tell us about the song?" Summer said questionably.  
  
"Erm. . ." Freddy glanced at Katie who was staring at the floor. She felt a bit shy and at the same time touched at what Freddy did.  
  
"Well you should have figured it was him. The lyrics explained it all!" Zack said.  
  
"Oh speaking of the lyrics. . ." Michelle moved her eyes to Katie. The others followed. Katie avoided everyone's eyes.  
  
"And that was a great performance from out very last band, Pluto's Agony!" the crowd gave another round of applause. "Okay. Before we announce the winner of this year's Summerblast Battle of the Bands I would like to reiterate that the winner would be receiving $20,000 cash prize and Friday night gigs at Hard Rock Café for three months. And also we would like to acknowledge again the presence of Jet, thank you guys for coming."  
  
"C'mon! Say it already!" Alicia said impatiently.  
  
"Alright! The moment we have all been waiting for!" the crowd fell silent as Vanessa opened the envelope. "This year's Summerblast Battle of the Bands champion and a winner of $20,000 cash and Friday night gigs at Hard Rock Café, garnering a score of 9.7/10. It's quite obvious. Congratulations to School of Rock!"  
  
The crowed roared in excitement as the band and crew went on stage.  
  
"Congratulations, you guys!" Vanessa said, shaking hands with Dewey. "Well that's it for me, thank you so much for tuning in. You can catch me on TRL on MTV. Again, this is Vanessa signing off!"  
  
The crowd still cheered as the show went off the air. A lot of publicity photographers came up the stage and took pictures of the band. The band was feeling it. They have been dreaming about this for years. They were indeed inches away to stardom.  
  
End of Chapter 15  
  
Erm...please tell me what you think. Thanks!  
  
I do not own the following:  
  
Total Request Live – A show in MTV  
  
Music Television (MTV)  
  
Vanessa – a TRL host  
  
Jet – Australian rock band  
  
"Cold Hard Bitch" – this song is found in Jet's debut album Get Born.  
  
Hard Rock Caf  
  
"Love is Only A Feeling" by the Darkness – song found in their debut album Permission to Land. 


	16. At Last

I do not own the School of Rock. It is officially presented by Paramount Pictures.

Finally! The final chapter! I'm so sorry for taking sooo long to update. I know I left you guys hanging but finally I was able to finish this one. Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 16: At Last

The band and crew left the theatre with wild screaming fans running after them. Just at the first 30 minutes of publicity and fame, they have already gained lots of fans.

"Dewey!"

Ms. Mullins shouted as she made her way through the crowd towards the band.

"That was absolutely wonderful!" Ms. Mullins said in great amazement. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Ross!" Dewey said as he climbed up the School bus parked in front of the theatre. Ms. Mullins followed.

A group of girls were crowded around Zack, Freddy and Lawrence.

"Zack! Marry me!" A 13-year-old girl screamed.

"No! Marry me!" said another.

Eleni, who was watching bitterly the girls crowded around Zack, pulled him difficultly out of it and dragged him towards the bus. The group of girls ran after them.

"Freddy! I love you!" a 15-year-old girl said, as she clung tight on Freddy's arm.

"Can you sign your name on my tummy?" a girl said, lifting her shirt, exposing her pierced navel.

"Ah. . ." Freddy muttered. He felt really weird with all the girls around him. He suddenly caught Katie's eye. She was signing autographs nearby. She raised an eyebrow at him, before focusing herself again on the paper she was signing.

"So, Katie you wanna go out with me?" said a guy about 2 years older than she.

"Erm. . .no! I cant. I'm not allowed to date." Katie said nicely.

"You wanna jam with me at my place? I play the bass too!" said a guy, handing Katie his cap for her to sign on. Katie remained silent.

"Lawrence! I love your eyes!" a blonde girl said, removing Lawrence's eyeglasses.

"Can I give you a kiss?" said a brunette, and without waiting for Lawrence's response, she kissed him on the cheek.

"Those boys were freaky!" Marta said as she, Tomika and Alicia climbed up the bus.

"Man, those girls were wild!" Freddy said, climbing up the bus with Lawrence behind him.

"Tell me about it!" Zack said.

"Alright! Is everyone here?" Dewey paused, trying to see if no one's missing. "Where's Katie?"

-----------------

Katie has finally escaped the horde of guys following her. On her way to the bus someone called for her.

"Katie!"

"Michael?" Katie said, smiling. "You're here!"

"Yeah. My flight is at 8:00. Congrats! You guys rock!" Michael said cheerfully.

"Thanks."

Again both fell silent. The awkwardness seemed to be always there when the two of them talked.

"So, I guess this is the last time I'd see you." Michael said disappointedly.

"Well. . .yeah. But we can still contact each other. You know. . .emails, telephone."

"Yeah."

"You take care." Katie said sincerely.

"You too." Michael said.

"So I guess this is goodbye then." Katie said.

"Yeah."

"I'll try to contact you sometime. See you." Katie placed a hand on his shoulder. She smiled and headed for the school bus.

"Wait!" Michael called. Katie turned her head back at Michael.

"Can I give you a hug?" Michael said humbly, spreading his arms wide open.

Katie hesitated, but then again smiled as she approached him, accepting his warm hug.

"It's nice meeting you." Michael said to her ear.

"Ditto." Katie said.

"I'll miss you." Michael said awkwardly.

Katie pulled out from Michael's hug, smiling. "I'll surely miss you too."

"So I'll see you." Michael said.

"Yeah. Bye." Katie said as she watched Michael walk away towards his parents' car, which was waiting by the sidewalk.

Katie smiled to herself as she mounted up the bus. Even if Michael had a lot of faults, she swore she would never ever forget him. He was still special.

-----------------------

"Ross, where on earth are we going?" Dewey said.

"You wait, Dewey. Marty, turn left to that street over there." Ms. Mullins pointed to the direction of a fully lit street. Marty followed.

"Okay. . .now stop in front of that house over there. . ." Ms. Mullins ordered and once again, Marty obeyed.

The school bus pulled over in front of the gates of a really big house. Everyone went down, without really knowing why Ms. Mullins brought them there.

"Well everyone, welcome to my home!" Ms. Mullins said.

"This is your house?" Alicia said incredulously. Ms. Mullins smiled and nodded.

"Whoa, Ross." Dewey paused, examining the outside of the house with full interest. "I never knew you had a house like this."

"Enough talk for now, let's go inside." Ms. Mullins unlocked the gates and rushed along the garden to the front door.

Everyone was completely in awe as they examined Ms. Mullins' front garden. They have never known how rich she could be but at the same time they found it funny since it was the first time they have ever been to the principal's house.

Everyone entered the still dark house. Ms. Mullins was trying to feel the light switch on the wall and when she finally found it, she quickly switched it on. Just as the light came up a loud cheer greeted them.

"WOOHOO! CONGRATULATIONS!"

The kids' parents prepared a surprise victory party for the band. And someone was also there to surprise them.

"Ned! Man, you're back!" Dewey gave Ned a tight hug.

"Saw you guys on TV. You were all amazing." Ned said.

"How did you guys even know that we'd win?" Alicia asked.

"Well we didn't know you would win alright. We just wanted to give you all a party regardless of winning or not." Mrs. Heyman, Alicia's mom said as she gave her daughter a hug.

"Not only that. After the party you kids get to spend the night here." Mrs. Hathaway said. "Your things are already upstairs."

"Oh my god, mom, I love you!" Summer kissed her mom on the cheek.

"Well the party's at the backyard not here so let's get partying!" Ms. Mullins said perkily.

The backyard was beautifully designed with balloons, ribbons and confetti. A huge School of Rock Rocks! banner was hang above the buffet table. 5 wooden, rectangular tables, each with 10 chairs were arranged and a karaoke machine stood in front all of them.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I request you all to sit back and relax as you take your dinner for I am here to sing a song for all of you." Marta grinned prettily, holding the microphone. "In behalf of the band we would like to thank the parents, Ms. Mullins and Mr. Schneebly for being so supportive."

"GO MARTA!" Dewey cheered, as Marta started singing 'You Don't Know Me' by Jan Arden.

Everyone helped themselves with all the food. The three singers were taking turns in singing to keep the atmosphere alive. Right after dinner, the parents decided to leave since it was already 8:00.

"Sleep early. Don't drink." Mrs. Brown kissed Katie on the forehead.

"Don't share a room with the boys!" Mr. Brown said assuredly.

"Of course, I won't dad." Katie said. Her dad has always been strict. She waved a hand at them as they left.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow, alright?" Mr. Moonyham patted Zack on the shoulder and left.

After all the parents have left, everyone cheered.

"Now it's time for the REAL party!" Dewey shouted. Gordon tuned up the volume of the CD player to maximum level as Jailhouse Rock started playing.

Ned brought 2 champagne bottles in the backyard. The groupies, together with Frankie, Leonard and Marco, were dancing lively under the moonlight. Katie smiled as she watched them, seated at the nearby table with the singers, Summer and Zack.

"You girls wanna dance?" Zack asked.

"Sure!" Alicia pulled Zack from his seat and dragged him to where everyone was dancing.

"C'mon girls! It's time to party!" Summer quickly ran to the wild dancefloor.

"What about you, Katie?" Marta asked.

"You guys go on ahead." Katie said.

"Are you alright?" Tomika asked.

"Yeah. I just need some rest. I'll join you later on." Katie said. Marta and Tomika rushed towards the dancing crowd.

Katie watched as everyone danced excitedly. She moved her eyes to the table next to her and found Dewey, Ned and Ms. Mullins having pleasant champagne drinks. She glanced at the empty tables nearby and realized that Freddy was nowhere to be found. After making sure that everyone was busy enough not to notice her, she left the backyard to look for Freddy.

-------------------

The silhouette of Freddy's spiky head was seen on the window of the living room. Katie went outside the porch and saw Freddy sitting on the rattan couch.

"What are you doing here?" Katie asked as she sat next to him.

"I was thinking of asking you the same question." Freddy said. Katie took a deep breath before speaking once more.

"Well. . .I was looking for you." Katie said difficultly. "Because I want to talk to you."

"Why?"

"I want to thank you for. . .for. . . doing that."

"Doing what?"

"For writing the song. For me."

"Michael's song was better." Freddy said in an undertone.

Both fell silent. Katie always disliked it when Freddy was putting himself down.

"No it wasn't." Katie uttered.

"How come?"

"Yours was real. I mean, you wrote the song based on how you really feel." Katie said sincerely.

"And how do I feel? If you really understood the song. . ." Freddy said, giving a small grin. Katie rolled her eyes at him.

"So. . ." Freddy paused, trying to figure out the right words to say. "How's Michael?"

"He flew to London just 30 minutes ago." Katie said checking her watch.

"Are you going to miss him?"

"Well. . .he's my friend, of course I will." Katie said carefully just in case Freddy explodes again.

"Oh."

Again, both fell into awkward silence. But Freddy's hyperactive self wouldn't let the silence last long.

"If I was the one who left would you miss me?" Freddy said, smiling.

"What do you think?" Katie said, raising an eyebrow.

"I think you'd die without me. You would just fall apart!" Freddy said smugly.

"Haha." Katie said sarcastically. "Very true." Freddy smirked.

"Well…" Freddy paused and glanced at Katie then soon continued, "I think we should go back inside now." Freddy stood up and stretched his arms.

"Don't you want to stay for a few minutes?" Katie said. Freddy, whose hand was already on the doorknob, surprisingly stared at Katie.

"If you don't want to then---"

"No. Of course I want to stay…" Freddy quickly sat beside Katie.

Both were speechless once again. Freddy stared dreamily at Katie. Her beauty always blows Freddy's mind away. Suddenly, Freddy thought of something. He never wanted to do it before because he wasn't ready yet but now, he thinks that it's about time to do so. Freddy scratched his spiky head, thinking about whether to do it or not_. 'C'mon, Jones. This is not the time to chicken out'_ Freddy told himself. He tried to open his mouth to speak but something was holding him back. _'Say it, stupid!' _Freddy scolded himself. He was so confused that he didn't realize that he was scratching his head too harshly. Katie stared at him looking puzzled.

"Are you alright?" Katie asked.

"What? Erm…yeah…er…I'm…cool." Freddy stammered.

"Are you sure? You were scratching your head as if you had tons of lice." Katie shot a doubtful look at Freddy.

"No…er…it's the…gel I used…quite itchy." Freddy lied. _'Way to go, Frederick' _he whispered to himself.

"Oh. Maybe you should stop using it." Katie said nicely. Freddy nodded in embarrassment.

Again, the awkward silence filled the air. Katie hated it when Freddy and she were both silent. As for Freddy, he just couldn't get the words out of his mouth_. 'You have to do this, Jones.'_ Freddy told himself as he watched Katie's profile. After building enough guts, Freddy took a deep breath and finally spoke:

"Erm..Katie?"

"What?" Katie said, looking intently at Freddy.

"Er…" Freddy paused, not really knowing the exact words to say. _'On second thought…don't do it…you'll just make a goofball out of yourself'_ he told himself. Katie waited for Freddy to speak but not a sound or even a groan was heard.

"What?" Katie repeated.

"Er…I…ah…"

"Just say what you want to say." Katie said edgily.

"Well…I was…wondering…"

"What? Quit stuttering and just ---"

"Would you like to go to my house on Tuesday?" Freddy finally said. Katie stared at him looking confused. _'Is he asking me out? No…I think he's not 'cause he's asking me to come to his place but… it's totally the same thing right?'_ Katie spoke to herself feeling a bit panicky. She found herself staring at Freddy, completely lost for words.

"Your look tells me that you don't want to go." Freddy said feeling a bit disappointed.

"What? NO! NO! It's not that." Katie said jumpily. "I was just wondering…why…you…want me to come…"

"Oh…ah…my dad's gonna arrive from…Rome and…he wants to meet you."

"He wants to meet me?"

"Well…" Freddy paused. He didn't want Katie to know that he always talked about her whenever his father called home. "Ah…mom always told him about you." Freddy lied.

"Oh…ah…okay. I'll come." Katie said turning pink-faced.

"Besides that, my dad wants to know if you could stay for…dinner…"

"Oh…er…sure."

"Great…"

"Should I wear something formal?" Katie asked foolishly.

"No. Of course not. You can wear a skirt or jeans…"

"Right." Katie was blushing intensely. It's as if she's going to meet Freddy's family for marital purposes.

"You know, we should like, hang out sometime. I mean, we do hang out but what I'm saying is---"

"As in go on a date?" Katie finished nervously.

"Er, yeah. Not a romantic date…just a…friendly date." Freddy felt so stupid.

"Well, I'm not allowed to go on dates yet."

"Oh." Freddy said feeling a bit disappointed though he didn't really show that he was.

"I'm sorry. We can still hang out with the band though." Katie said trying to lighten Freddy up a bit.

"Yeah." Freddy said, smiling faintly. He still thought that spending time with Katie alone was a whole lot more different.

"But if you could wait until I reach 16…then I guess by that time we could already…see a movie or a concert." Katie gave Freddy a small smile. Freddy saw a sign of hope by hearing Katie's words.

"Well 3 years isn't a long wait. I can definitely wait." Freddy said assuredly.

"Are you sure? I mean, there are a lot of prettier girls out there…" Katie said teasingly.

"Hey, I'm not that kind of person." Freddy said sincerely. "There's only one person I like. And If I had to…wait for a thousand years just to---"

Freddy's heartbeat suddenly stopped. He felt butterflies swim around his stomach as he felt Katie's soft lips pressed against his. Soon, Katie pulled away. How Freddy wished she kissed him a little longer.

Katie smiled at Freddy, her face was pink all over. She stood up and rushed back inside the house. Freddy sat on the couch, still utterly shocked. He touched his lips and grinned. It was his first kiss and he was glad to have shared it with the girl of his dreams, no other than Katie.

------------------------------------

Back at the backyard, everyone was still very much hyperactive. The kids were still getting funky on the dance floor as they danced to "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones. Katie sat on an unoccupied table, smiling as she watched her friends dance crazily. Deep inside she felt so embarrassed for kissing Freddy. She didn't even know exactly what pushed her to do it. _'I hate his cuteness. Now look what it made me do.'_ Katie whispered to herself. She definitely wished that Freddy would not go back to the yard and hoped that he'd fall asleep instead. Sorry, Katie. Your wish would not be heard this time.

Katie pretended to be watching her dancing friends but the truth is, she was nervously watching Freddy, who was walking towards her, at the corner of her eye. But to Katie's surprise, Freddy sat on the chair at the table across her. Freddy didn't feel embarrassed or awkward with what happened. For the first time, he felt normal about things dealing with Katie.

"Erm…attention please…attention." Ned stood in front of everybody, holding the microphone right below his chin. "Again I just want to congratulate the School of Rock for a job well done!" Everyone applauded. Ned continued, "…and now, here's a song I want to sing for all of you. You can also…get a partner and slow-dance the night away."

Ned started singing "All You Need Is Love". Alicia and Leonard were the first one to slow dance, followed by Dewey and Ross. The others danced as well except for Katie and Freddy who did not move from where they sat. Katie felt so awkward and wished that the night would just end. The awkwardness she felt just got worse when Freddy stood up from his seat and approached her, extending his hand to her.

"Care to dance?" Freddy said with a wide grin on his face.

"Ah…" Katie couldn't express her thoughts in words. She was just dumbfounded.

"I would take that as a yes."

Freddy took Katie's hand and walked towards the dancefloor. Everyone swayed slowly with the music. Freddy sank his eyes into Katie's, as if a strong magnetic field was pulling through between them. All of a sudden they saw each other in a whole new light; a light wherein they didn't think of arguing and fighting but rather, a light wherein they learned to appreciate the companionship and care they never realized they had for each other for so long.

"At last…" Freddy whispered. Katie smiled and as the music faded, they remained on the dance floor still clinging to each other not really thinking about what lay ahead of them but instead they had their minds set on that very moment; a moment that they will surely treasure forever.

----------------

Erm…thanks for reading this fanfic. I had so much fun writing this and of course reading your reviews. Again, I want to apologize for the very delayed update. A million thanks to all of you!

I do not own the Ramones and the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love".


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